Minister Sinon addresses 31st Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries |11 June 2014

The Minister for Natural Resources Peter Sinon has congratulated the FAO for providing a comprehensive report on the state of world fisheries and aquaculture, pointing out the important issues it addresses which are important for Seychelles as well.

Minister Sinon was speaking in his opening address yesterday at the 31st Session of the Committee of Fisheries (COFI) of the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) of the United Nations (UN) conference held at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

The Seychelles minister specifically welcomed and commended FAO’s Blue Growth Initiative for putting the oceans and its sustainable spatial development at the fore, as the last frontier for sustainable development of our unique planet.

The minister informed the conference of Seychelles’ own initiative in pioneering and hosting the ‘Blue Economy’ Summit in the United Arab Emirates in January this year, and expressed his thanks to all partners especially the UAE for making this important gathering possible.

On the same issue, the minister also called upon more high level policy decision makers especially from small islands developing states (Sids) to the follow-up summit planned for January 2015. That would be after the already discussed issues and recommendations are tabled at the Sids global conference in Samoa that will also be attended by the director general of the FAO who was present at the first Summit.

Minister Sinon thanked the FAO director general for his interest and personal encouragement.

To note the Seychelles ‘Blue Economy’ concept is very much in line with the FAO Blue Growth Initiative.

Minister Sinon informed the COFI of his confidence that the deliberations and recommendations will further address and increase our collective efforts to sustainably exploit our living oceanic resources that are finite but renewable. If well managed the series of COFI gatherings would have laid the foundations for the future generations who will be the benefactors of our collective efforts to comply with code of best practices and in treating our oceans with greater respect and attention.

The minister informed that in the preparations for the next Blue Economy Summit, the value of “Partnerships” in the management of the world’s marine resources has been proposed as a main theme and it’s getting increasing credibility. This is so, the minister said, “especially when considering that we are dealing with a natural finite and renewable resource that cross boundaries and territories at will and that collaborative efforts are required if the world is going to seriously promote fisheries sustainability”.  

He emphasised that the invaluable importance of “partnership” has not revealed itself more so in recent times than in the collective effort in the fight against piracy in the Indian Ocean.

He acknowledged that considerable progress has been registered in this domain and extended Seychelles’ gratitude to all partners that joined forces to fight that scourge.

Minister Sinon also thanked FAO and highlighted the work it is doing and the progress in the rebuilding of Somalia’s national fisheries administration that has paved the way for Somalia’s recent admission as the latest member of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) at their 18th Session held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on July 1, 2014.
 
Minister Sinon is accompanied at the conference by Roy Clarisse, deputy chief executive of the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA).