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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is assisting Guinea-Bissau in conducting a needs assessment of its capacity to implement the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA), complementary international instruments and regional mechanisms to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The Council of Ministers of Guinea-Bissau has approved the accession to the PSMA in February 2020. However, the accession process is pending approval from the National Assembly.

In response to the request of technical assistance from the Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy / National Institute for the Supervision and Control of Fishing Activities, FAO assisted both entities in conducting a national multi-stakeholder workshop in Bissau (7-11 of April), with the participation of senior officials and technical experts.

More than 30 participants, representing national agencies including fisheries, port, immigration, transport, maritime police, navy, health, environment, justice and foreign affairs discussed the main challenges and opportunities to improve existing policy, legal, institutional and operational frameworks, to strengthen the monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) system, to increase cooperation, and to promote coordination.

The contributions of all stakeholders during this workshop will now be taken into consideration in the preparation of a National Strategy and Action Plan to be presented by FAO to the Government of Guinea-Bissau for its endorsement. This will then lead towards the review and alignment, as appropriate, of national policies, institutional and legal frameworks, as well as MCS systems and operations, so that the country will be fully compliant with provisions of the PSMA, and complementary international instruments and regional mechanisms that support sustainable fisheries. 

Carlos Nelson Sano, Director of the national institute, welcomed all the participants stressing the importance of “their participation in the workshop with a view to coordinate their responsibilities in the implementation of the PSMA”.

Mohamed Hama Garba, FAO Representative, stressed that this initiative “encourages Guinea-Bissau to promote diversification of the national economy through sustainable development of fisheries as a guarantee of food safety”.

Addressing the opening of the workshop, Mário Musante da Silva Loureiro,Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Economy, stated that “this workshop represents a fundamental step in promoting responsible fishing and combatting IUU fishing”. The Minister thanked FAO’s support and encouraged participants to continue working towards the promotion of sustainable fishing.

This is the last needs assessment workshop undertaken under the regional project to catalyse the implementation of the PSMA in the Member States (Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tome and Principe, and Timor-Leste) of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP).