SEAFDEC attends ASEAN fisheries-related meetings

The Secretary-General of SEAFDEC, Dr. Suttinee Limthammahisorn, along with the Senior Policy Officer of the SEAFDEC Secretariat, Ms. Pattaratjit Kaewnuratchadasorn, took part in the ASEAN fisheries-related meetings, namely: 14^th Meeting of ASEAN Shrimp Alliance (14^th ASA), 16^th Meeting of ASEAN Fisheries Consultative Forum (16^th AFCF), and 32^nd Meeting of ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Fisheries (32^nd ASWGFi). The Meetings were held in Penang, Malaysia, and hosted by the Department of Fisheries Malaysia of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security of Malaysia.

During the 16^th AFCF organized on 2 July 2024, SEAFDEC presented the initiatives and activities undertaken by its Departments in 2023–2024 including fishing capacity, sustainable small-scale fisheries, impacts of climate change on fisheries, combating IUU fishing, and traceability of fisheries and aquaculture products to support the ASEAN Member States (AMSs). Moreover, Dr. Suttinee congratulated the AMSs on the approval of the project “Implementation and Assessment of Fishing Capacity and Zoning System for Southeast Asia” funded by the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF) to be implemented by SEAFDEC/MFRDMD. Furthermore, she informed the 16^th AFCF that several new projects funded by various donors have been approved and started implementation in 2024 which focus on several topics i.e. EAFM, combatting IUU fishing, small-scale fisheries, and impacts of climate change. These projects were aimed at supporting the AMSs in achieving sustainable utilization of fishery resources and food security.

For the 32^nd ASWGFi convened on 3–5 July 2024, a number of ASEAN dialog partners including SEAFDEC were invited to present their respective cooperation with ASEAN. Under the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Strategic Partnership (ASSP), SEAFDEC reported the outcomes of the Twenty-sixth Meeting of Fisheries Consultative Group of the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Strategic Partnership (26FCG/ASSP) organized in November 2023. In particular, the 32^nd ASWGFi supported the submission of the Regional Framework for Fishery Statistics of Southeast Asia (2024 Edition), which was approved by the SEAFDEC Council during its 56^th Meeting in 2024, to the Special Senior Officials Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (SOM-AMAF) for endorsement.