ITLOS Nippon Fellow Annual Study Visit

Rome, 06 February 2026. FAO, through the Development Law Service (LEGN) of its Legal Office, hosted the annual study visit of the Fellows enrolled in the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) training programme in Hamburg, Germany, with the support of the Nippon Foundation. This is the fourth time that LEGN, in collaboration with NFIFP, welcomes the Fellows to FAO, one of the selected international institutions for the annual study visit.

The ITLOS Nippon programme provides training on the topic of dispute settlement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and more broadly on substantive matters of the Convention. This 19th edition included seven Fellows: Mr Paulo Henrique Reis de Oliveira (Brazil); Ms Anaïs Rémont (France); Ms Ama Kokwe Asare Korang (Ghana); Ms Zulaikha Ibrahim (Maldives); Mr Muneeb Khan (Pakistan; Mr John Psalmuel Chan (Philippines), and; Ms Brenda Joy Dhliwayo (Zimbabwe).

Following a welcome address by Guido Acquaviva, Deputy Legal Counsel, LEG and Blaise Kuemlangan, Chief, LEGN, the Fellows listened to presentations on the functions and work of the FAO Legal Office,[1] and its two Services, as well as on FAOLEX and its subsets, highlighting Port-Lex on port State measures, and SSF-LEX on small-scale fisheries,[2] and the communications and outreach work of LEGN.[3] Colleagues of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division (NFI) talked about international fisheries management and governance,[4] including FAO’s work as the Secretariat of the 2009 Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter, and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (PSMA); issues of compliance and implementation of the 1993 Agreement to Promote Compliance of International Conservation and Management Measures by Fishing Vessels on the High Seas[5].

The visit offered a valuable opportunity for the Fellows to learn more about FAO’s work in the areas of fisheries management and the key international fisheries instruments and tools that support its Members to strengthen their policy and legal frameworks for sustainable fisheries.

When asked of their experience, Mr Oliveira, on behalf of the Fellows, said “Visiting FAO was an enriching experience, particularly in witnessing its efforts toward the democratization of knowledge. FAOLEX is an indispensable platform for the development of international law, and getting to know the minds behind this system is truly inspiring. Moreover, we were able to gain a better understanding of the efforts to promote fisheries aligned with sustainable development”.

For information on previous visits, see news items published in 2023, 2024, and 2025.