Mandate: Resolution of Council Renewing and Revising the Mandate of the Fisheries Committee [C/M(2023)157] adopted at its 1474th session on 11 December 2023 [C/M(2023)157]

 

 

 

 

Resolution of the Council [C/M(2023)157]

RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL RENEWING AND REVISING
THE MANDATE OF THE FISHERIES COMMITTEE

THE COUNCIL,

HAVING REGARD to the Convention on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) of 14 December 1960; 

HAVING REGARD to the Rules of Procedure of the Organisation;

HAVING REGARD to the Resolution of the Council on Partnerships in OECD Bodies [C(2012)100/REV2/FINAL];

HAVING REGARD to paragraphs 21, 24 and 89 of the Report of the Preparatory Committee concerning the creation of the Fisheries Committee on 30 September 1961, whose mandate was last revised in 2015 [C(2015)109 and C/M(2015)18] and extended in 2020 [C(2020)142 and C/M(2020)9] and in 2022 [C(2022)190 and C/M(2022)22];

HAVING REGARD to the results of the third cycle In-depth Evaluation of the Fisheries Committee [C(2023)1/REV1 and C/M(2023)11, Item 138];

CONSIDERING the need to promote sustainable, well-managed, efficient and resilient fisheries and aquaculture sectors worldwide along the whole supply chain in support of sustainable livelihoods and communities, and the necessity to contribute to the objectives of food security, healthy ecosystems, global greenhouse gas emissions reduction, and other emerging challenges;

RECOGNISING the importance of addressing the effects of climate change and other environmental degradation on the fisheries and aquaculture sectors worldwide and the need for additional information gathering for a more complete understanding of the potential impacts of climate change on the fisheries and aquaculture sectors;

HAVING REGARD to the proposed revision of the mandate of the Fisheries Committee [C(2023)157];

DECIDES:

A.   The mandate of the Fisheries Committee (hereafter the “Committee”) is as follows:

I.   Objectives

1.   The objectives of the Committee are to:

a)Promote sustainable, well-managed, efficient and resilient fisheries and aquaculture that contribute to healthy ecosystems, support sustainable livelihoods and communities, and contribute to food security, responsible trade and consumption and the reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions;

b)Achieve sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, i.e. biological, economic and social sustainability, through effective and sustainable management, climate change adaptation and mitigation, good governance and sound business arrangements of fisheries and aquaculture;

c)Promote mutual understanding of developments in fisheries and aquaculture policies and improve their transparency at domestic and international levels;

d)Improve the effectiveness of fisheries and aquaculture policies and encourage the uptake of best practices identified by the Committee.

II.   Working methods

3.   To achieve its objectives, the Committee shall:

a)Provide a forum for the discussion of issues related to all aspects of fisheries and aquaculture developments and policies, including cross sector issues implicating fisheries and aquaculture, taking into account the fact that the fisheries and aquaculture sectors operate within a broader context of economic activity, which increasingly requires innovative cross-sector solutions;

b)Identify needs, options and trade-offs, risks, best practice recommendations for improved domestic fisheries and aquaculture policy, and advice on implementation through:

• effective monitoring;

• data collection;

• economic analysis of policy impact and understanding of the external factors impacting fisheries and aquaculture performance, such as climate change;

c)Hold dedicated strategic discussions building on the findings of the Committee’s work, especially on emerging issues, with a view to developing consensus on sound fisheries and aquaculture management and informing the agenda setting in international fisheries and aquaculture policy;

d)Contribute to the debate on cross-cutting and cross-sector issues by adding a global perspective about the management and enforcement challenges that arise in relation to a common-property, natural renewable resources, to ensure that policy advice emerging from the Committee’s work is relevant to all the linked economic sectors; including through the consideration of how climate change will affect these resources and how the sector can engage in the energy transition of the Ocean economy.

e)Support the development, implementation, and dissemination of OECD standards relevant for its work, as well as other international standards, including by supporting and complementing the work of other international organisations, where relevant.

III.   Co-ordination arrangements

4.   To achieve its objectives, the Committee shall:

a)Co-operate and co-ordinate its activities with other OECD committees and their subsidiary bodies dealing with cross-cutting issues related to fisheries and aquaculture, such as in relation with food systems and the sustainable Ocean economy, in particular the Committee for Agriculture;

b)Co-operate with other international organisations and stakeholders working in fisheries and aquaculture and the sustainable Ocean economy, in particular the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO);

B.   The mandate of the Fisheries Committee shall remain in force until 31 December 2028.