Sixteen legal professionals complete FAO course
Sixteen legal professionals have just completed a three-week course organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The International course on fisheries law, which forms part of the FAO fisheries training programme in support of the implementation of international instruments, was held at the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI), in Malta.
The sixteen legal professionals, from national institutions and authorities of Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Uruguay, followed an intensive course which comprised the law of the sea and ocean affairs, in particular fisheries governance, including fisheries law and policy, monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS), and compliance and enforcement.
The International course on fisheries law, developed under FAO’s global programme to support the implementation of the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA), complementary international instruments, and regional mechanisms and tools to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, is particularly beneficial for government officials, including legal practitioners working with fisheries legislation, magistrates and judges, fisheries MCS and enforcement officials, and senior managers.
The course is aligned with the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31 and contributes to the achievement of the Four Betters and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 14 (“Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development").
This was the fifth time that this course was held at IMO’s specialized academic institution, IMLI. Lectures were provided by FAO officials, IMLI academic staff, and international legal, MCS and enforcement experts. This course followed a separate three-week course for fisheries inspectors, held at Europe’s largest fishing port, in Vigo, Spain.
Dr Matthew Camilleri, Leader of the FAO Fisheries Global and Regional Processes team at FAO Headquarters in Rome, said that this specialized course provides a unique opportunity to strengthen the capacity of countries to better implement internationally-agreed fisheries governance and management norms through professional development of their senior officials.
At the closing of the course, Ms Alicia Mosteiro, FAO Fisheries Officer, who has been responsible for coordinating this course, congratulated the participants on their successful completion of the course which placed them in a better position to assist their respective countries in developing and executing national plans and processes for the effective detection, investigation and the prosecution of fisheries offences and violations, which ultimately support the conservation and management of living marine resources and the sustainability of fisheries.
FAO’s global programme provides several training possibilities and other capacity development initiatives to assist States in implementing the PSMA and complementary international instruments to combat IUU fishing.
More information is available here.
Contact can be made with FAO here: [email protected].