IORA BLUE ECONOMY WORKSHOP ON IUU FISHING: MOVING TOWARD THE DEVELOPMENT AND ADOPTION OF IORA GUIDELINES TO PREVENT ENTRY OF IUU FISHERIES PRODUCTS INTO IORA MEMBER STATES SUPPLY CHAINS

COFREPECHE organizes in the context of the French Development Agency (AFD) funded project “Technical assistance for the Implementation of the IORA (Indian Ocean Rim Association) Action Plan on fisheries, Aquaculture and the Marine Environment”, a blue economy workshop on IUU fishing in La Reunion on “ Moving toward the development and adoption of IORA Guidelines to prevent entry of IUU fisheries products into IORA MS supply chains ”.

This virtual event will take place on 23rd and 24th of March 2022 and will be hosted by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the IORA Secretariat and the AFD technical assistance team. It will be introduced by the IORA Secretariat and will be moderated by the COFREPECHE technical assistance team.

The main objective of the workshop is to draw the attention of the IORA MS on the issue of IUU fishing in the IORA region and how the development and adoption of regional Guidelines to prevent entry of IUU fisheries products within IORA MS’s supply chains can be key to contribute to sustainable management of marine fisheries resources.

The specific objectives of the workshop are the following:

• Present the main results of the activities completed by IORA/TA on the issue of IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing in IORA region;
• Discuss the key thematic areas and the process towards the development and adoption of Guidelines for preventing the entry of fish and fish products from IUU fishing activities into IORA MS’s supply chains;
• Present some of the lessons learnt and progresses made by some IORA MS and build on regional experiences which adopted similar guidelines;
• Provide context, by showcasing some innovative initiatives, services and tools that have recently been deployed in the combat of IUU fishing across IORA MS ;
• Reach an agreement among the IORA MS on the roadmap for the adoption of Guidelines to prevent entry of IUU fisheries products within IORA MS’s supply chains.