SEAFDEC Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center
The Forty-seventh Meeting of the SEAFDEC Program Committee (47PCM) was convened on 2–4 December 2024 in Singapore and hosted by the SEAFDEC Marine Fisheries Research Department (MFRD). The 47PCM was chaired by Dr. Suttinee Limthammahisorn, Secretary-General of SEAFDEC, and attended by the SEAFDEC Program Committee Members and their delegations from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The Deputy Secretary-General, and Department Chiefs together with officers from the SEAFDEC Secretariat and Departments also attended the 47PCM. Representatives from collaborating partners of SEAFDEC including FAO/RAP, JICA, NACA, USAID/RDMA, and WWF/US participated as observers.
The 47PCM was convened to review the progress and achievements of the ongoing projects under the Fisheries Consultative Group of the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Strategic Partnership (FCG/ASSP) Mechanism and endorse the new projects for approval by the SEAFDEC Council. Moreover, the 47PCM was also intended to review the progress of the Departmental Programs and Other Programs. The key topics discussed during the 47PCM include the Regional Fisheries Policy Network (RFPN) Program, Monitoring and Evaluation of the Implementation of the Resolution and Plan of Action on Sustainable Fisheries for Food Security for the ASEAN Region Towards 2030 (Mid-term Evaluation 2025), and Introduction of New Approach to Operationalize of Stocks Information Content for FAO Area 57 and 71. The 47PCM was convened back-to-back with the 27th Meeting of the Fisheries Consultative Group of the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Strategic Partnership (27FCG/ASSP).
Following the 47PCM, SEAFDEC convened the 27FCG/ASSP on 5–6 December 2024. The meeting was co-chaired by Dato’ Haji Adnan bin Hussain, Director-General of the Department of Fisheries Malaysia and Chairperson of the ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Fisheries (ASWGFi), and Dr. Suttinee Limthammahisorn, Secretary-General of SEAFDEC.
The 27FCG/ASSP focused on reviewing the follow-up actions taken by SEAFDEC and the ASEAN Member States (AMSs) based on the directives from the 56th Meeting of SEAFDEC Council and the 26FCG/ASSP, as well as other ASEAN fisheries-related meetings held in 2024. The meeting reviewed the progress and achievements of 23 ongoing projects under the FCG/ASSP mechanism, including 12 projects set to conclude in 2024 and 11 continuing into 2025. Additionally, the meeting endorsed eight new projects scheduled to commence in 2025 and discussed policy recommendations addressing critical issues such as combating IUU fishing, managing fisheries resources, and tackling international fisheries-related challenges.
The relevant outcomes during the 47PCM and 27FCG/ASSP would be submitted to the forthcoming meetings of the SEAFDEC Council, and the ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Fisheries (ASWGFi) in 2025, respectively for consideration and approval.
