It is an honor to welcome all of you to this event jointly organized by FAO and the Holy See to celebrate World Fisheries Day.
Today, FAO and the Holy See convey a joint message urging an end to the violation of human rights within the fishing sector.
FAO has a long history of working with the men and women around the globe who earn their livelihoods in fisheries and aquaculture.
In recent years, we have seen increasing media attention focusing on human rights abuses in fisheries and aquaculture, in both developed and developing countries.
These include forced labour, trafficking, child labour and slavery.
Such violations of human rights are unacceptable. The international community must work together to end abuses along the fisheries value chain.
Many tools are now in place alongside a strong international commitment to halt those abuses.
The FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries has inspired a number of supporting instruments and guidelines.
This includes the FAO Voluntary Guidelines on Small-Scale Fisheries, which have a great potential to strengthen human-rights for small-scale fishing communities.
FAO is now developing guidelines on social responsibility in seafood value chains through an inclusive and consultative process. The guidelines will be presented at FAO Committee on Fisheries in 2020.
Another key instrument is the FAO Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), the first binding international treaty designed to eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
Vessels involved in illegal fishing are also often linked to cases of trafficking, labour abuses and slavery.
The PSMA allows more effective controls to ensure that the rights of crews are not violated.
As of today, 56 signatories representing 81 countries are already part of the PSMA. And the parliaments of some other countries are in the process of ratifying the Agreement.
Let me renew my appeals to every country to become part of this global effort against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would also like to highlight that the Fishing Convention number 188 of the International Labor Organization entered into force exactly one year ago, in November 2017.
This landmark Convention is a powerful instrument to combat unacceptable work conditions in fisheries and aquaculture, including forced labour and child labour.
We congratulate ILO on its entry into force, and look forward to partnering with ILO and Member Countries to make a true difference in the living and working conditions for fishing communities.
However, only 12 countries have ratified the Convention so far, and therefore we urge all countries that have not yet ratified the Convention to do so.
During the Our Ocean Conference held in Malta in 2017, ILO and FAO agreed to work together on the implementation of the “Decent Work Agenda” in fisheries, aquaculture and their associated fish value chains, with emphasis on productive employment and decent work for all.
This follows a long collaboration on a number of issues, including safety at sea and the development of guidance on vessel safety.
In fact, ILO has been an active participant in FAO’s work on international labour standards and social protection, to empower fish workers, their families and their communities.
To conclude, let me highlight that through international collaboration and the implementation of international agreements,
we can end all forms of modern-day slavery in the fisheries sector.
FAO looks forward to making this a reality.
Thank you for your attention
