EU provides €40 million to boost sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific

The EU, the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) signed a €40 million, five-year programme (FISH4ACP) to boost the development of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

FISH4ACP is an innovative EU-funded programme, devised with ACP and to be implemented by FAO. It will invest in value chains to stimulate inclusive growth, bolster food security and minimise impacts on the marine environment.

The signing took place in Oslo, at the Our Ocean 2019 conference. Representatives from governments, business, civil society and research institutions are attending this global event to promote action for a clean, healthy and productive ocean.

FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said: “We welcome this new, comprehensive value chain approach to the development of fisheries and aquaculture that takes into account all players, at all stages – from the net to plate. This is an innovative approach that will boost economic returns and social equity, and reduce negative impacts on the marine environment.”

Over the next five years, FISH4ACP will be yielding multiple environmental, economic and social benefits for the people and the fisheries resources in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, contributing to the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and in particular Sustainable Development Goal 14 on conservation and sustainable use of the ocean, seas and marine resources.

Original source: FAO
Published on 23 October 2019