SEAFDEC Annual Report 2018

Abstract

The SEAFDEC Annual Report 2018 summarizes the programs of activities undertaken by SEAFDEC throughout the year, in-line with the priority needs and policy directives of the Member Countries conveyed through the SEAFDEC Council and the SEAFDEC Program Committee. The programs in 2018 had been categorized into: 1) Programs under the Fisheries Consultative Group of the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Strategic Partnership (FCG/ASSP) (24 projects); Departmental Programs (10 programs); and Other Programs (1 program). For the year 2018, SEAFDEC started to align its programs of activities with the “SEAFDEC Strategies Towards 2030” adopted by the SEAFDEC Council during its Special Meeting held in 2017 in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of SEAFDEC. The six Strategies are: 1) Securing the sustainability of fisheries to contribute to food security, poverty alleviation and livelihood of people in the region; 2) Supporting the sustainable growth of aquaculture to complement fisheries and contribute to food security, poverty alleviation and livelihood of people in the region; 3) Ensuring the food safety and quality of fish and fishery products for the Southeast Asian region; 4) Enhancing trade and compliance of the region’s fish and fishery products with market requirements; 5) Addressing cross-cutting issues, such as labor, gender and climate change, related to international fisheries; and 6) Empowering SEAFDEC to strengthen its roles in the region and to improve its services for the Member Countries.

In 2018, SEAFDEC also continued to strengthen its cooperation and partnership with other international and regional organizations, national agencies of the Member Countries, as well as non-member governments that share common interest towards sustainable fisheries development, specifically tapping their expertise and relevant resources for the programs and activities implemented by SEAFDEC that aim to promote sustainable fisheries development in the Southeast Asian region. SEAFDEC also continued to organize regional consultations on wide range of subjects to gather inputs from the Member Countries with a view to ensure that its programs properly address the common concerns of the countries. In 2018, SEAFDEC continued to take part in relevant international fora in order to monitor the development of global issues in fisheries, and ensure that regional situations are properly reflected at these fora. SEAFDEC also sustained its efforts in compiling the outputs from its programs and projects, and disseminating these to target audience with a view to providing maximum impacts from the works of SEAFDEC on the sustainable development of fisheries in the region.

It is therefore envisioned that this SEAFDEC Annual Report 2018 could provide a better view of the roles, activities and achievements of SEAFDEC in supporting the Member Countries in their efforts towards achieving sustainable development of fisheries in their respective countries as well as in the whole Southeast Asian region.