Chile will assume Fisheries Committee presidency at COFI38

Chile will assume the Fisheries Committee presidency at COFI38 to address challenges related to fisheries and aquaculture. Additionally, during the last Committee it was confirmed that Chile and Ecuador will jointly hold the first vice presidency at COFI37.

Between July 8 and 12 in Rome, Italy, the 36th session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) took place. During this meeting, issues and challenges related to fisheries and aquaculture are examined and considered.

In more detail, the Chilean delegation was responsible for leading discussions on the sustainable use of resources and the protection of biodiversity.

Moreover, the Chilean delegation highlighted the role of regional fisheries organizations in fisheries management and the sustainable use of resources. In this context, they requested the strengthening of regional offices and policies decentralization to address the challenges of each country.

Finally, they emphasized to COFI the importance of the new High Seas Agreement (BBNJ) for centralizing agreements and instruments in relation to regional fisheries organizations to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable use of the ocean.

Accompanying the commission were leaders of Chile's artisanal fishing sector, who played a prominent role in the Second Small-Scale Fisheries and Aquaculture Meeting (SSF 2024).

About the Committee on Fisheries

The Committee on Fisheries (COFI), a subsidiary body of the FAO Council, was established by the FAO Conference in 1965. It is the only global inter-governmental forum where FAO Members meet to consider the issues related to fisheries and aquaculture.

COFI is a unique body in that it provides periodic global recommendations and policy advice to governments, regional fishery bodies, civil society organizations, and actors from the private sector and international community.

Plenary sessions of COFI take place every two years. Typically, they discuss and address current issues related to fisheries and aquaculture, review progress, and set priorities for future work.