FAO launches PSMA support to Côte d’Ivoire
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has initiated its support to Côte d’Ivoire this week, for the effective implementation of the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) and complementary international instruments to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, with the kind financial support of the European Union.
The support, provided under the framework of FAO’s Global Programme to support the implementation of the PSMA and complementary international instruments to combat IUU fishing, has begun with a gap assessment workshop, held between 20-30 September.
The workshop aims to identify the strengths and weaknesses in the country in terms of legal, policy, and institutional systems, procedures and capacities in order to develop a national strategy and action plan for the country, which will inform the future support provided by FAO and possibly other partners in line with the country’s needs.
The workshop is organised in a hybrid format with international experts joining remotely and the local representatives present in the FAO office in Abidjan. The workshop brings together representatives from the Ministries of Fisheries, Environment, Justice, Maritime Affairs and the Port Authority as well as the Navy and Police, and underlines the importance of strong interagency cooperation for the effective implementation of PSMA and complementary international instruments.