SEAFDEC, FAO co-hosting the 2023 ASFA Advisory Board Meeting

SEAFDEC supported the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the FAO Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstract (ASFA) Secretariat in co-organizing the “2023 ASFA Advisory Board Meeting” from 3 to 6 October 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand. The Meeting was participated by the representatives from 14 ASFA Partners including the staff from the SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department (AQD) who represented SEAFDEC. The aim of the Meeting was to discuss the progress of activities of the respective ASFA Partners as well as their potential contributions to other areas of work in the future. SEAFDEC has been an International ASFA Partner since 2013 with AQD serving as a Collaborating ASFA Center.

During the opening session of the Meeting, SEAFDEC Deputy Secretary-General, Dr. Tomoko Nakazato, welcomed the participants and reiterated the long collaboration between ASFA and SEAFDEC especially through AQD by preparing bibliographic records not only from AQD but also from the SEAFDEC Secretariat and other Departments for inclusion in the ASFA database. She also cited the recent collaboration between SEAFDEC and ASFA in 2022 under the project supported by ASFA that provided a series of training for institutions in data-poor countries in Southeast Asia to identify and record research publications and data related to SDG Indicator 14.4.1 into the OpenASFA. She then underscored that the works of ASFA would contribute to improving science-based policy planning and management toward the sustainable development of fisheries and aquaculture not only in the Southeast Asian region but also worldwide.

Furthermore, one of the significant discussions during the Meeting was on updating the Term of Reference (TOR) of ASFA to reflect the current situation and technological developments. As it is envisaged that once adopted, the TOR will supersede the existing Partnership Agreement between ASFA and all Partners in the future; thus, it was agreed that the Partners should thoroughly consider the text of the TOR and provide their feedback to FAO after the Meeting together with their reaffirmation in serving as ASFA Partners in the future.