This platform, the first stone of which was laid by the President of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, represents a new step in the fight against illegal, undeclared and unregulated (IUU) fishing and crimes linked to organized fishing, underlined the secretariat in a press release.
He recalled that following the approval of the Charter establishing the MCSCC by the SADC Council of Ministers in August 2017 in the South African capital, Pretoria, the Charter came into force on April 8, 2023 after attaining the majority two-thirds of the Member States.
Speaking on this occasion, the Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration, Angèle Makombo N’Tumba, highlighted the importance of the MCSCC as a structure enabling the SADC region to increase its capacity to fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
She added that by working together, countries in the region will be better equipped to provide a united and integrated response to illegal activities and protect SADC’s fisheries resources.
For her part, the Mozambican Minister of the Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries, Lídia Cardoso, stressed that this initiative will deepen the integration program with a view to accelerating the eradication of poverty and the achievement economic and sustainable development objectives.
“By developing shared policies, regulations and controls, the MCSCC contributes to SADC integration efforts which aim to develop a free trade area, a customs union and a common market,” she continued. .
MCSCC currently coordinates regional fisheries data and information sharing services (DCS). Ultimately, the platform should ensure, among other things, the coordination of the management of a regional register of fishing vessels and a regional surveillance system.
By Le360 Africa (with MAP)
04/25/2024 at 8:50 a.m.
