FAO GLOBEFISH session at 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), 9-13 June 2025, Nice France

At the Green Zone of the UNOC3, held in Nice, France, FAO GLOBEFISH team hosted a hybrid session titled “Navigating Global Fish Trade Products: Trends, Policies, Instruments and Market Intelligence”. Held on 9 June 2025, the session provided participants with a comprehensive look at the evolving landscape of international fish trade, with a focus on key policy tools, market trends, and the role of data in trade facilitation. 

The session began with an overview of global trade flows presented by Stefania Vannuccini, Senior Fishery Officer at FAO, who shared insights on current trends in fisheries and aquaculture products, major producing and trading countries, key commodities, and the important contributions of small-scale fishers and developing nations. 

Bhakti Anand, International Trade Consultant at FAO, followed with a comprehensive presentation on basic concepts related to international fish trade such as non-discrimination and transparency, and introduced key global and FAO instruments influencing trade policy. These included UNCLOS, WTO Agreements, and FAO instruments such as the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, SSF Guidelines, Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), and various ecolabelling and certification guidelines. 

The session concluded with a presentation on FAO GLOBEFISH project as a market intelligence tool. Shirlene Anthonysamy, GLOBEFISH Coordinator and Fishery Officer, demonstrated how GLOBEFISH supports timely data, analyses, and information tools that assist FAO Members and all stakeholders in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors. The presentation also highlighted the role of the FISHINFONetwork in supporting the dissemination of information produced by FAO GLOBEFISH project. 

To engage participants and reinforce key messages, the session also featured a series of interactive quiz questions covering topics on global fisheries and aquaculture. The quiz added a dynamic and participatory element, allowing attendees to test their knowledge while deepening their understanding of the subject matter. 

© FAO/Omar Penarubia

© FAO/Shirlene Anthonysamy