The Undersecretary of Fisheries invited the delegations to develop their work with a focus on artisanal fishing and small-scale aquaculture, and particularly on the women working in the sector.
Undersecretary Alicia Gallardo Lagno was elected by participating economies to lead OFWG group sessions. The authority invited the delegations to develop their work with a focus on artisanal fishing and small-scale aquaculture, and particularly on the women working in the sector.
Chile is leading the work of the Ocean and Fisheries Working Group (OFWG), focused on the protection of the seas, during the 2021 version of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), which is being carried out by New Zealand during its host year.
The OFWG is chaired by the Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Alicia Gallardo Lagno, who was elected by the economies that make up the committee to lead its work for the period 2021-2022.
Chile took an active role in 2019, within the framework of the APEC Chile. On that occasion, the OFWG began working on two roadmaps: one on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUU fishing), and the other on Marine Litter.
At the group’s meeting on February 25 and 26, Undersecretary Gallardo will present a work plan, which must be agreed by consensus.
In her opening remarks last night (Chilean time), she praised the work of New Zealand as the host economy, and stressed that fisheries and aquaculture have experienced the global impact of Covid-19.
Under this premise, the Undersecretary anticipated that the return of both activities to pre-pandemic levels is one of the great challenges for APEC this year.
In this context, she called on the 20 economies attending the OFWG to fulfill their tasks with a focus on artisanal fisheries and small-scale aquaculture.
“I propose to consider an effective inclusion, especially during a pandemic, of women in our fishing and aquaculture sector, and a greater visibility of their activities. The role of women is relevant, they carry out 50% of the work in the sector,” Gallardo stressed.
The Undersecretary added: “I invite you to recover the ancestral cultures linked to fishing communities. Especially in this year of the pandemic, we need to study our ancestral culture. I invite you to listen not only to the sea, but also to the people.”
The Chilean delegation attending the OFWG is headed by Commander Enrique Vargas (Directemar) and includes the Ministry of the Environment, the Undersecretariat of International Economic Relations (SUBREI), Subpesca and Sernapesca.
Source: Mundo Acuícola
