V. Borges (left) and Á. Mathiesen sign Host Agreement

The Mozambique Minister of Fisheries, Víctor Manuel Borges, and the Assistant Director-General of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department at FAO, Árni Mathiesen, on Wednesday signed a Host Agreement of the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission’s (SWIOFC) Secretariat. This Host Agreement effectively transfers the location of the SWIOFC Secretariat from Zimbabwe to Mozambique.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mathiesen said this was a clear landmark in the history of SWIOFC. "After today, it will not be possible to continue business as usual, a new path was just opened for all of us."

Speaking on behalf of the Government of Mozambique, Borges said the signing of the agreement was "an important step that shows Mozambique’s commitment towards regional cooperation in fisheries".

The SWIOFC’s Secretary since it was established in 2004, Aubrey Harris, noted that "the hosting of the Commission in Mozambique represents an opportunity to increase the involvement of the partner countries in the Commission’s work. It is also an important commitment from both sides, since it has been promoted by all Member states".

Until now, the SWIOFC’s Secretariat was located in Harare, Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe hosts the FAO Subregional Office for Southern Africa but is not a Member of the SWIOFC which is composed of coastal states, which are FAO Members and whose territories are situated wholly or partly within the area of the Commission.

Currently the Commission has twelve Members: Comoros, France, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, and Yemen. The move of the Secretariat to Maputo occurs after the proposal by the Mozambican Government to host it.

Apart from signing the Host Agreement, Mathiesen will take part in the launching ceremony of the office in an Extraordinary Session of SWIOFC as well as attending the inauguration of the Fisheries Museum, which is a State ceremony.

SWIOFC was established in 2004. Its main objective is to promote the sustainable utilization of the living marine resources of the South West Indian Ocean region by their proper management and development without prejudice to the sovereign rights of coastal States and to address common problems of fisheries management and development faced by the Members of the Commission.