Organised on the sidelines of the Halieutis International Exhibition, this meeting brought together more than 270 participants, representing 32 countries including 24 delegations led by ministers from Africa, Europe and the Middle East and international organisations.
It constitutes a South-South cooperation area for fisheries and aquaculture as an essential component of the blue economy.
Since its creation at COP22, this initiative, which aims to strengthen the capacities of participating countries for sustainable management of their fisheries and aquaculture resources, has been encouraged and supported by many countries and organizations to promote cooperation, sharing and exchange of experiences between countries.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Sadiki highlighted the important role of fisheries and aquaculture products in food security, noting that the BBI is an appropriate cooperation instrument to implement actions to achieve food security, particularly in the context of the fight against climate change and the ocean emergency.
He added that the BBI is an important platform for collaboration and support for national, regional and continental blue and marine strategies. It also helps coastal states transform their fisheries activities towards sustainable exploitation methods.
This year’s Conference provided an opportunity to take stock of progress made since the first Conference in 2019, particularly in terms of cooperation agreements and projects implemented in member countries.
Participants also discussed the challenges and directions to be adopted to strengthen the BBI in the coming years. They emphasized the need for effective governance and harmonization of actions.
On the sidelines of this event, cooperation agreements were signed by Morocco with the Republic of Liberia, the Republic of Benin and the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire to support these countries in the scientific and technical field through oceanographic prospecting campaigns by the Moroccan scientific boat. It is planned to continue to expand this cooperation to other member countries of the initiative.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests also plans to set up, through the BBI collaborative platform, a cooperation fund to mobilize resources to support sustainable aquaculture and fisheries development projects in member countries.
2024-08-15 17:08:02