SEAFDEC Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center
The Deputy Secretary-General of SEAFDEC, Dr. Tomoko Nakasato, together with SEAFDEC officials joined the IYAFA 2022 Closing Ceremony for Asia on 28 February 2023 via a hybrid format. Themed “Towards a new era of support for small-scale fisheries and aquaculture,” the Ceremony was organized by the Department of Fisheries, Thailand in collaboration with Too Big to Ignore (TBTI) Global Foundation, and INFOFISH, with the technical support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). SEAFDEC was invited to serve as one of the speakers along with other relevant organizations.
In her message, Dr. Nakasato congratulated the FAO and partners for the successful celebration of IYAFA 2022. She emphasized that SEAFDEC plays an important role in the promotion of sustainable development of fisheries and aquaculture in the Southeast Asian region, especially small-scale fisheries which are in line with the Resolution and Plan of Action on Sustainable Fisheries for Food Security for the ASEAN Region Towards 2030 as well as FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines). SEAFDEC have been undertaking numerous activities including the promotion of small-scale fisheries management tools, resource enhancement, safety at sea, adaptation to climate change, post-harvest and marketing, as well as gender integration. Moreover, she also shared the significant activities and outputs of SEAFDEC to commemorate IYAFA 2022 such as the publication “Small-scale Fisheries of Southeast Asia: A Regional Digest,” 2022 SEAFDEC Calendar featuring the small-scale fisheries and aquaculture activities of the region, Fish for the People 20-2 with the theme “Commendation of the significance of small-scale fisheries and aquaculture in the Southeast Asian region,” production of souvenir items (t-shirts, bags, etc.), among others. Finally, she expressed the commitment of SEAFDEC to continue the support to its Member Countries in the sustainable development of small-scale fisheries of the region.