The Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) is participating in the Second Project Technical Committee (PTC) Meeting organized by the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) on September 13-14, 2023, in Naivasha, Kenya.
AU-IBAR, with support from the Swedish Agency for International Development (SIDA), launched a 3-year project in 2021 aimed at conserving aquatic biodiversity, enhancing policy frameworks, promoting the ratification of international/regional instruments related to blue economy themes, strengthening measures to mitigate the negative impacts of industries on aquatic biodiversity and promoting gender inclusivity in all these efforts.
The AU-IBAR operates in alignment with the Africa Blue Economy Strategy, which aims to promote sustainable economic growth through various sectors, including fisheries, aquaculture, shipping, tourism, sustainable energy, and governance. The primary focus of this Second PTC meeting is on the fifth thematic area (governance), to ensure coherence and coordination in implementing measures for the protection and conservation of aquatic biodiversity.
The overall objective of this Second PTC Meeting is to provide updates on project activities and recommendations from the first meeting. Specific objectives are to provide progress updates to PTC members on the old recommendations from the first PTC meeting; to share the progress of the 2022-2023 work plan; to present the 2023-2024 project work plan; and to develop new recommendations for the PTC’s consideration.
The participants comprise representatives of AU Member States from relevant institutions, (e.g. departments in charge of environment, tourism industry, mining, biodiversity (including fisheries and aquaculture), and other selected blue economy sectors). The Regional economic communities, specialized regional institutions (e.g. Regional Fisheries Bodies (RFBs), Regional Sea Conventions), LMEs representatives, and Non-state actors including women, youth and the private sector.
