Opening remarks by Ms. Bintia Stephen-Tchicaya, FAO Liberia Representative ad interim
PHOTO: FOA Liberia representative
The Food and Agriculture Representative of Liberia Ms. Bintia Stephen Tchicaya at the opening of 23rd session of the CECAF at the Farmington Hotel in Margibi County held on the July 11,2023, said, CECAF has played a significant role that CECAF scientists and experts provide is unique as a regional and neutral knowledge platform for its Member Nations to strengthen collaborations and share insights in the sector. As we all know, fisheries and its management transcend national boundaries and therefore the need to harness collective intelligence and advance our understanding of fisheries is crucial for the sustainable and equitable management of these resources.
Ms. Tchicaya disclosed that Since its creation in 1967, CECAF has played a leading role in giving the fisheries sector the prominence it deserves. Through its Scientific Sub-Committee and its Working Groups, the Committee has contributed to improving the skills of national experts who must tackle and/or resolve the many problems associated with the fisheries sector in Africa.
“Today, there’s no need to underline the global challenge of strengthening fisheries resource management. The global situation of biologically unsustainable fish stocks continues to grow. This downward trend in the resource situation poses a serious threat to the sustainable contribution of this natural resource to the economic and social well-being of millions of people who benefit directly or indirectly from the exploitation of fishery resources.”
She added that Over the last decades, a number of events have had a profound impact on the fishing world, whose physiognomy has changed radically. Many challenges exist in CECAF’s area of competence, let me mention just a few:
1.Ensuring that fisheries continue to contribute to food security and livelihoods for all;
2.Improving the management of shared and migratory stocks on the high seas, as well as in coastal sovereign waters;
3.Increase the resilience of coastal communities;
4.Ending illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
All these challenges, which can be summarized as: good fisheries management.
The FOA Liberia representative indicated that This target, is at the heart of FAO’s activities and are fully in line with the Organization’s Strategic Objectives towards the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.
The objectives of conservation and sustainable management of fisheries cannot be achieved without a good understanding of the dynamics of populations and ecosystems. Indeed, without such knowledge, it is impossible to successfully monitor and evaluate the actions of the various players in the fisheries sector, the progress made in the sustainable management of resources, and the threats to them.
We feel it is important to emphasize that management decisions are based on information concerning production sectors (catch statistics, effort, other economic data) and the resource (dynamic parameters, abundance, etc.).
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I take this opportunity to remind delegates and participants that the theme of CECAF 23 is: “Toward practical solutions to strengthen fisheries management and sustainability in CECAF region”. The target to set practical solutions to benefit fisheries and the communities dependent on them should remain on our minds throughout the upcoming days.
FAO will continue to strongly support the ambitions and objectives of CECAF, which for our institution is a framework for cooperation and integration between its member states, to ensure the sustainable management and rational use of natural resources.
Here in Liberia, the Government priorities reflected in the FAO Country Programming Framework (2020-2024), entails agricultural sector and sub-sector transformation. For Fisheries FAO is engaged in Partnership Strengthening and resource mobilization in collaboration with the National Fisheries and Aqu Culture Authority (NaFAA), Liberian Maritime Authority, Environmental Protection Agency, and other sectors to collaborate for better outcomes.
With the financial support from the Japanese Government, FAO works to strengthen NaFAA’ s capacity on implementing the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) with focus on combating illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing and capacitating women in small scale fisheries (SSF) with solar-powered storage, fish handling and processing capacities.
While wishing the Committee every success in its work, I would like to reiterate FAO’s readiness to provide Technical Assistance and support Governments and partners in their efforts to strengthen the rational management of their fisheries resources, and to make fishing a real driver of sustainable economic and social development for the benefit of your respective countries.