COFI:FT/VII/2000/11  |
| COFI:FT/VII/2000/11 |
Item 10 of the Provisional Agenda |
COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES |
SUB-COMMITTEE ON FISH TRADE |
Seventh Session |
Bremen, Germany, 22-25 March 2000 |
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FAO STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK
|
1. In response to the request by the Conference at its Twenty-ninth Session, a proposed Strategic Framework to guide the work of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations during the period 2000-2015 was approved by the FAO Conference at its Thirtieth Session in November 1999. The Strategic Framework is the product of consultations among FAO Members.
2. The Strategic Framework forms an essential part of the programme-budget process now approved for FAO. When fully implemented, this process will include the Strategic Framework, with its 10 to 15 year time dimension, a Medium Term Plan (MTP) for a six-year period and a biennial Programme of Work and Budget (PWB).
3. The Strategic Framework identifies five major corporate strategies and six additional strategies to address major corporate cross-organizational issues. The strategies require consideration of the means of action at the Organization's disposal. These may be roughly grouped into "normative" and "operational" activities.
4. The Regular Programme will continue to provide certain critical inputs for operational work, notably through the Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS) and the Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP). Nevertheless, the bulk of funding will have to come, as in the past, from extra-budgetary sources.
5. Policy and regulatory frameworks for food, agriculture, fisheries and forestry, at the international and national levels, are assuming ever more crucial importance in an increasingly interdependent and globalized world economy. The Organization's work in this field builds on its long-established role as a global and neutral forum, and as the depository for a number of international instruments, as well as its close cooperation with other organizations working in the areas of natural resources for food and agriculture, environment and trade. It also recognizes the growing demand by Members for assistance in developing their policy, regulatory and standard-setting capacities.
6. The Twenty-third Session of COFI found that fisheries was one of the areas of overall comparative advantage for FAO, and stress was placed on FAO's role in capacity-building to enable countries and regional fishery management bodies to participate fully in the implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and other fisheries instruments.
7. The Committee noted that the cross-organizational strategies formed a set of management principles which FAO would apply to the implementation of the programme strategies, and welcomed the addition of the sixth cross-organizational strategy on Communicating FAO's Messages.
8. With regard to partnerships and alliances, the Committee indicated that further use of these vehicles for cooperation should be encouraged. It was suggested that partnerships with specific UN organizations should be part of this programme. In the field of issues related to fish trade, partnership agreements would be made with institutions and associations in member countries.
9. The work of the Fisheries Department related to fish trade is part of the FAO Programme of Work and Budget (PWB) for the biennium 2000-2001. The bulk of this work is included in the technical project 233A5 - Promotion of International Fish Trade, whereas the work related to Consumption, Safety and Quality of Fish Products is found in 233A4. The current timeframe of these projects is 2000-2005.
10. Net export revenues from fish trade are of importance particularly to developing countries. An increase in fish trade and export revenue contributes to increased food security in many regions. By providing information and analysis on trends in international fish trade, FAO can greatly facilitate the participation of developing countries and also, where required, safeguard their interests. The objective of this work is, therefore, to promote increased participation of developing countries in international fish trade, including through their use and active membership of the FAO-supported Fish INFOnetwork.
11. The technical project will organize conferences on fish trade and commodities (to be supplemented by E-mail consultations). The main task will be the coordination of INFOnetwork and backstopping of regional marketing information projects such as EASTFISH. The GLOBEFISH databank will continue to be expanded and GLOBEFISH published outputs widely disseminated. Assistance will be provided to FAO bodies that serve as International Commodity Bodies for the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) and oversee CFC-sponsored fisheries projects. External partners include World Trade Organization (WTO), International Trade Centre (ITC), Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
12. Safety and quality of fish products is gaining strategic importance for many countries in the light of the globalization of fish trade. In recent years, major markets for fish products have either adopted or are adopting new regulations with a preventive approach toward safety and quality. Developing countries, in particular, are increasing their share of markets and need to comply with these regulations for the benefit of consumers in export and domestic markets, and thus require substantial assistance in this regard. This activity will organize an international meeting on hazards and risks associated with tropical and sub-tropical fish products, the proceedings of which will be widely disseminated. It will seek to identify important missing information in this area and issue recommendations on research needs.
13. Another development which could have significant potential for international fish trade would be the increased production and incorporation of fish oil into food products from low value resources in the fishing industry. This would also improve nutritional levels of such vulnerable groups as low-income, pregnant women as fish oil is one of the richest sources of essential fatty acids. The objectives are to meet national requirements for improved safety and quality of fish products and promote increased consumption of fish oil. Suitable food products containing fish oil will be identified for potential large-scale production. Storage and acceptability testing of these products, as well as pilot production experiments will be encouraged and supported. External partners include United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), World Food Programme (WFP), World Health Organization (WHO) and International Fish Meal and Oil Manufacturers Association (IFOMA), and for some of these activities extra-budgetary funds will be required.
14. The Sub-Committee is invited to consider the trade-specific parts of the strategic framework and to identify appropriate means for implementation, including partnerships. It may wish to provide suggestions with regard to trade-related activities currently planned for the period 2000-2005.
