Philippines Focus on Fisheries Sector
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), fishing at sea is probably the most dangerous occupation in the world.
To address this issue, a two-day regional seminar, "Joining forces in the fisheries sector: promoting safety, decent work and the fight against Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU)", has been held (21-22 March) in Manila, Philippines.
International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s Sandra Allnutt, Head of Marine Technology, delivered a presentation on IMO's work in promoting safety at sea.
Mrs Allnutt also emphasized the longstanding cooperation between FAO and ILO through which safety recommendations have been developed and adopted on the design, construction, equipment, training and protection of fishing vessels.
But she stressed that more States must comply with IMO conventions on safety at sea and greater cooperation is needed amongst the relevant stakeholders.
The event also discussed many related issues including, the protection of human rights in the fishing sector, the need for increased political commitment, the development of regional actions to fight labour abuses and ways of inter‐agency collaboration and future actions by concerned stakeholders.
The seminar was organized by the Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO).