SEAFDEC attends 37th Session of the APFIC

The Senior Policy Officer, Ms. Pattaratjit Kaewnuratchadasorn, and Program Officer, Ms. Arpita Karmokar, participated as representatives from the SEAFDEC Secretariat in the 37^th Session of the Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC) hosted by the Government of China on 13-15 June 2023 in a hybrid manner through online and in person meeting in Qingdao, China. The Session was attended by representatives from the APFIC Member Nations, APFIC Secretariat, and one FAO member country as well as observers from regional organizations including SEAFDEC. The regular Session of the APFIC is convened every two years to review the activities of the Commission during the intersessional period.

During the Session, Ms. Pattaratjit congratulated the Commission for successfully conducting several activities to support the fisheries and aquaculture sector of the Member Nations. She highlighted the ongoing collaboration between FAO and SEAFDEC over the years, especially the conduct of the series of training workshops on stock assessment for reporting on SDG14 indicators and the development of recommendations for management measures related to the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. In addition, she informed the Session of the forthcoming collaborations with FAO/RAP to support the Member Countries in the implementation of two new projects to be funded by Global Environment Facility (GEF) International Waters Projects, namely: "Sustainable Management of Fisheries, Marine Living Resources and their Habitats in the Bay of Bengal Region for the Benefit of Coastal States and Communities" (BOBLME Phase II) and "Promoting the Blue Economy and Strengthening Fisheries Governance of the Gulf of Thailand through the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries" (GoTFish Project).