FAO undertakes MCS mission in Uruguay
Experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) undertook a mission in Montevideo, in Uruguay, from 20 to 23 June 2023 under the framework of a technical cooperation programme between the Government of Uruguay and FAO, signed in 2022.
The mission delivered a workshop to assist Uruguay’s public authorities by reviewing existing monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) measures. Over four days, FAO delivered joint working sessions with representatives from different public authorities, discussing the existing framework to apply MCS tools. FAO consultants also had the opportunity to understand Uruguay’s working procedures and measures related to MCS, discussing a technical questionnaire with government representatives. Additionally, some work was done in the field, escorting Uruguayan fisheries inspectors onboard a foreign fishing vessel in the Port of Montevideo. Hosted by the Uruguayan Navy, FAO experts also had the opportunity to visit two off shore areas where ships wait to have access to port facilities (las zonas de servicio y espera).
The government officers and attendees included representatives from Dirección Nacional de Recursos Acuáticos (DINARA, National Directorate for Aquatic Resources) and public agencies with competence in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. They included Prefectura Nacional Naval (PNN, Navy), Ministerio de Salud Pública (MSP, Ministry of Health), Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (MRREE, Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Fiscalía General de la Nación (FGN, National Prosecution Office), Administración Nacional de Puertos (ANP, Port Authority) Dirección Nacional de Trabajo (DINATRA, Ministry of Labour), Direccion Nacional de Aduanas (Customs) and Oficina Nacional de Inmigración (Immigration Office).
As a result of the joint working sessions, FAO experts identified areas that could benefit from additional attention by the relevant authorities. A report on Uruguay’s existing MCS framework will be provided to the Uruguayan authorities.
The FAO mission was funded by the Republic of Korea (Project 350/ROK), aiming at supporting Uruguay to improve its domestic measures to implement the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) and regional mechanisms to combat IUU fishing.