Latin American and Caribbean countries meet to discuss the PSMA
Senior officials and technical experts from Latin America and the Caribbean, representing intergovernmental organizations and Parties and non-Parties to the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA), met in Costa Rica, in the second of a series of PSMA Regional Coordination Meetings.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is convening several Regional Coordination Meetings in 2024 that will discuss, on a regional level, the implementation of the PSMA and follow up on the ‘Bali Strategy’ adopted by the Parties to the Agreement in May 2023. The meeting for Latin America and the Caribbean took place in San José between the 13 – 17 May 2024, with delegates from 18 countries.
The PSMA is the first binding international agreement designed to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Entering into force in 2016, the PSMA has the highest rate of adherence of all international fisheries instruments. Currently, the PSMA has 78 Parties including the European Union which is considered as one Party on behalf of its Member States. Papua New Guinea and Comoros are the latest States to adhere to the PSMA, in April 2024, bringing the total number of States bound by the Agreement to 104.
The PSMA Regional Coordination Meetings were called for by the Parties themselves at the first Meeting of the Parties held in Oslo in 2017. Specifically, this meeting took stock of the status of the Agreement and its application in the region, addressed challenges in the implementation of the PSMA and the usage of the PSMA Global Information Exchange System. At the same time, the meeting discussed regional port State measures implementation strategies and drew up recommendations, including on improving the effectiveness and monitoring the implementation of the PSMA, for consideration by the PSMA Strategy and Monitoring Working Group.
Addressing the second Regional Coordination Meeting, Matthew Camilleri, Leader of the FAO Fisheries Global and Regional Processes Team said that “these Regional Coordination Meetings represent a great opportunity for progressing on the coordination and implementation of the PSMA at regional level whilst advancing discussions on various aspects of the Bali Strategy”.
The second PSMA Regional Coordination Meeting was held with co-funding by Norway.
More information on the PSMA and FAO’s work is available here.