FAO.org

Seventeen legal professionals have completed a three-week course organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The seventh edition of the FAO international course on fisheries law, which forms part of the FAO fisheries training programme in support of the implementation of international instruments, was held from 1 – 17 April, at the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI), in Malta.

The seventeen legal professionals, from national institutions and authorities of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Panama and Peru, followed an intensive course which comprised the Law of the Sea and ocean affairs, in particular fisheries governance, including fisheries law and policy, monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS), and compliance and enforcement. 

The course participants are now in a better position to assist their respective countries in developing and executing national plans and processes for the effective detection, investigation and the prosecution of fisheries offences and violations, which ultimately support the conservation and management of living marine resources and the sustainability of fisheries.

This was the seventh time that this course was held at IMO’s specialized academic institution, IMLI. Lectures were provided by FAO officials, IMLI academic staff, and international legal, MCS and enforcement experts, and a representative of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).

Funding for this course was provided by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea, with added contributions by the European Union.

Later this month, this course will be provided for the eighth time, at the Busan, Republic of Korea, training hub, returning to the IMLI Malta training hub in October 2025.

The FAO international course on fisheries law, developed under FAO’s global programme to support the implementation of the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA), complementary international instruments, and regional mechanisms and tools to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, is particularly beneficial for government officials, including legal practitioners working with fisheries legislation, magistrates and judges, fisheries MCS and enforcement officials, and senior managers.

The course is aligned with the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31 and contributes to the achievement of the Four Betters and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 14 (“Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development").

FAO’s global programme provides several training possibilities and other capacity development initiatives to assist States in implementing the PSMA and complementary international instruments to combat IUU fishing.

More information is available here.

Contact can be made with FAO here: [email protected].