The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) has
received the Margarita Lizárraga Medal from the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),
recognising the collective leadership of Pacific Island
countries in responsible fisheries management.
FAO
Director-General Dr QU Dongyu presented the medal to FFA
Director-General Noan David Pakop during the opening of the
37th Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI37) at
FAO Headquarters in Rome.
His Excellency José Luis
Delgado, Representative of Mexico, whose government supports
the award, attended the presentation.
The Margarita
Lizárraga Medal is awarded biennially to a person or
organisation that has served with distinction in applying
the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible
Fisheries.
Accepting the award on behalf of FFA
Members and the Secretariat, Mr Pakop said the recognition
belonged first and foremost to the Agency’s 17
Members.
“For more than four decades, they have
demonstrated what can be achieved when Pacific nations stand
together, share responsibility and act collectively to
safeguard their sovereign fisheries resources,” the FFA
Director-General acknowledged.
“This award also
belongs to the generations of Pacific fisheries leaders,
officials, scientists, observers, enforcement officers and
communities who have worked tirelessly to make sure that our
ocean continues to sustain our people.”
Mr Pakop
also acknowledged the contribution of past and present FFA
Secretariat staff, whose technical expertise and commitment
have supported the Agency’s work with its
Members.
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The Pacific is home to the largest tuna
fishery globally. The fishery supports national economies,
food security and livelihoods and remains closely connected
to the cultures and identity of Pacific
people.
Through regional cooperation and backed by
sustained investment in fisheries data, science, monitoring
and enforcement, FFA Members have helped keep the Pacific
region’s major tuna stocks healthy.
Mr Pakop
recognised the contributions of the Pacific Community (SPC)
as the region’s fisheries science provider and the
partnership of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries
Commission (WCPFC) and the Parties to the Nauru Agreement
(PNA).
Over its 47-year history, FFA has supported its
Members to develop cooperative approaches to tuna fisheries
management, strengthen monitoring, control and surveillance,
combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and
uphold their sovereign rights over fisheries
resources.
The FFA Director-General said the medal
recognised past achievements but also highlighted the work
that remains ahead.
“Climate change, economic
pressures, emerging technologies and increasingly complex
maritime threats require us to remain vigilant and
united,” he said.
“FFA accepts this honour with
humility and renewed determination. We remain committed to
working with FAO, our regional partners and the wider
international community in support of sustainable fisheries
and the wellbeing of our people.”
Mr Pakop added he
hoped the recognition would strengthen international
commitment to protecting oceans and fisheries and advancing
the principles of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible
Fisheries.
“On behalf of the FFA Membership and
Secretariat, I extend our sincere appreciation to the
Committee and FAO for this distinguished honour,” he
said.
“Iumi tugeda – together we can.”
The
FAO established the Margarita Lizárraga Medal in honour of
Dr Margarita Lizárraga, a Mexican fisheries specialist who
played a central role in promoting the FAO Code of Conduct
for Responsible Fisheries. The medal is presented biennially
to an individual or organisation that has served with
distinction in applying the Code.
About Pacific
Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA):
FFA
assists its 17-member countries to sustainably manage
fishery resources that fall within their 200-mile Exclusive
Economic Zones (EEZs). FFA provides expertise, technical
assistance and other support to its members who make
decisions about their tuna resources and participate in
regional decision making on tuna management. Find out more
here: www.ffa.int
