Report of the Second Intergovernmental Consultation on the Establishment of a Southwest Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission

Abstract

This document is the final report of the Second Intergovernmental Consultation on the Establishment of a Southwest Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission, which was held in Antananarivo, Madagascar, from 25 to 28 September 2001. A draft agreement for the establishment of a regional fisheries body in the Southwest Indian Ocean was reviewed. The Consultation was attended by delegates from Australia, China, Comoros, European Community, France, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, New Zealand, Seychelles, South Africa, the United Republic of Tanzania and the United Kingdom. Representatives of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), the Norwegian Agency for International Development (NORAD) and the Russian Federation were observers to the Consultation. The Consultation visited most of the articles of the agreement and considered numerous proposals. Three substantive issues need to be resolved for progress: accommodating all interests within an agreement or agreements on high seas fisheries and straddling stocks; a framework for cooperation in the sustainable development of fisheries under the jurisdiction of coastal developing states; the role of FAO in the future Agreement.