27/06/2023

The Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in 2018 endorsed the recommendation made by its Sub-Committee on Aquaculture (COFI:AQ) in 2017 that FAO should develop global Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture (GSA) to guide government authorities and policy-makers in their efforts promoting the implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF) and enable aquaculture to play a prominent role in the realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In response to these requests, FAO developed the draft GSA following extensive consultations with experts1  and Members.

With the aim of having the GSA adopted at its 12th Session in 2023, the COFI:AQ at its 11th Session in 2022 recommended the following three-step process:

1. FAO to revise the draft GSA based on the recommendations of its 11th Session;

2. FAO to share the revised draft with all Members for their written inputs; and

3. FAO, together with the COFI:AQ Bureau, to establish a dedicated Task Force, comprised of interested Members including representatives from each region, in order to finalize the draft GSA prior to the 12th Session of the Sub-Committee.

In response to this recommendation, which was endorsed by the 35th Session of COFI, FAO produced a revised draft of the GSA, shared it with Members for their written inputs, and organized a Task Force meeting to discuss these revisions. The Task Force Meeting for the Finalization of the Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture was held virtually from 9 to 11 January 2023. The Task Force consisted of representatives appointed by 46 Members: a total of 58 representatives participated in the meeting: 14 from Africa; 14 from Asia and the Pacific; 13 from Europe and Central Asia; 9 from Latin America and the Caribbean; 6 from Near East and North Africa; and 2 from North America. The objective of the meeting was to review and finalize the revised draft GSA taking into consideration the written input received by Members.

The meeting was opened by Mr Xinhua Yuan, Deputy Director of the Sustainable Aquaculture Area of the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, who welcomed the participants and highlighted that the guiding principles of the FAO’s Blue Transformation Roadmap 2022–2030 will also be applied to the GSA.

The Task Force elected Mr Edgar Edmundo Lanz Sánchez (Mexico) as Chair, alongside Mr Wenbo Zhang (China), Mr Reinhold Hanel (Germany), Mr Dawood Al  Yahyai (Oman), Mr Nazael Amos Madalla (United Republic of Tanzania) and Ms  Kristine Cherry (United States of America) and as Vice-Chairs.

The Task Force reviewed the revised draft GSA section by section, discussing the written inputs as received by Members and Non-State Actors, and provided comments. By the end of the meeting, The Task Force agreed on general recommendations to finalize the draft GSA, which included to:

• revise its structure, ensure consistency and coherence;
• shorten the overall length;
• review and harmonize terminology;
• align the document with current FAO and other internationally-adopted documents;
• revise the text on issues for which there were diverging views between Members;
• make the draft GSA more action-oriented;
• identify the target audience for each action; and
• develop a summary of recommended actions in the form of a policy brief targeted at policymakers (after the adoption of the GSA).

 The Task Force also agreed on a roadmap for the finalization of the draft GSA:

• FAO to produce the revised draft GSA based on the recommendations of the Task Force;
• the Task Force to revise the document;
• FAO to finalize the document; and
• FAO to post the final document online one month before the 12th Session of COFI:AQ.

At the 12th Session of COFI:AQ, which was held in Hermosillo, Mexico from 16 to 19 May 2023, the delegates reached consensus on technical approval and recommendation of the GSA to be put to the COFI. 

Source: E. Martone. 2023. FAO Aquaculture News. June 2023, No. 67. Rome. pp. 7-8.