The Agadir Dialogue, organized by FAO and in cooperation with the Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO), the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), the Moroccan National Federation of Seafood Processing and Valorization Industries (FENIP) and the Centre for Marketing, Information and Advisory Services for Fishery Products in the Arab region (INFOSAMAK), will take place in Agadir, Morocco on 22 February 2019. 

The dialogue is being held during the 5th edition of Salon Halieutis, a bi-yearly exhibition and conference, happening on 22 February 2019. Organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Forestry, Rural Development and Water, it is one of the largest exhibitions in Africa and an ideal venue for the proposed Dialogue.

Dialogue objectives: 

The “Agadir Dialogue on Traceability and Socially Responsible Fish Value Chains ” is a platform for the region’s producing and exporting countries to engage in a dialogue involving industry leaders, professional organizations, regulatory bodies, regional institutions, fishermen and workers associations, and other relevant stakeholders. 

Participation:

The Agadir Dialogue will bring together 20 to 30 participants per roundtable discussion including:

• Panellists from processing and exporting companies
• Professional Producers and Exporters Associations
• National and Regional Institutions
• Fishermen and workers representatives

High-level experts from FAO and SIPPO will facilitate the Agadir Roundtable Dialogues and capture the main conclusions and recommendations for further dissemination and future follow-up.  

Traceability roundtable: 

The Traceability roundtable will allow participants to discuss current practices and requirements to meet traceability needs of national and international markets. The value of full-chain traceability systems will be discussed by participants, who will also identify challenges and priority actions to the adoption of such systems. Additionally, the roundtable will establish an industry-supported learning and collaborative convening for the African fishery industry striving to engage and keep up-to-date with emerging technologies that support traceability implementation.

Social Responsibility roundtable: 

The Social Responsibility roundtable will foster an open dialogue with a focus on measures for social responsibility in the fisheries and aquaculture sector as strategic approaches to promote and ensure sustainable human and labour rights along the value chain. The roundtable provides an important opportunity for all relevant stakeholders to give inputs and feedback on FAO’s ongoing work on social sustainability in the fisheries value chain.

Full program details can be found in the Agadir Dialogue Agenda 

More information on the Salon Halieutis conference can be found here