The United Nations(UN)’s International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing is annually observed across the globe on 5th June to highlight Fish as one of the important commodities for achieving food security.
- The Day provides a platform to address issues like illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities, that comprise the efforts of the international communities to ensure the sustainability of fisheries.
5th June 2022 marks the observance of the 5th International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing.
Background:
i.The 40th Session of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations(FAO) Conference, held in Rome, Italy, from 3rd to 8th July 2017, adopted the resolution entitled “Observance of the International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing”.
ii.The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/72/72 on 5th December 2017 and proclaimed the 5th June of every year as the International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing.
- The first-ever International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing was observed on 5th June 2018.
iii.The resolution also proclaimed the year 2022(beginning on 1st January 2022) as the “International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture”
iv.The resolution for the adoption of the “International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture” was also proposed by the FAO.
2022 – International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022):
The celebration of the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 (IYAFA 2022) is led by the FAO in collaboration with other relevant organizations and bodies of the United Nations system.
IUU Fishing:
i.Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing includes a wide range of fishing activities, it occurs on both high seas and areas within national jurisdictions.
ii.IUU fishing undermines national and regional efforts to conserve and manage fish stocks.
iii.IUU fishing also inhibits the progress toward achieving the goals of the long term sustainability
iv.According to the UN, it is estimated that 1 in every 5 fish caught, comes from IUU fishing.
v.According to FAO, IUU fishing activities are responsible for the loss of around 11 to 26 million tonnes of fish each year, which is estimated to have an economic value of USD 10 to 23 billion.
IUU Fishing & SDGs:
i.Target 14.4 of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14: (Life below Water) aims to end overfishing, illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing and destructive fishing practices.
ii.SDG target 14.6 aims to prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing and eliminate subsidies that contribute to IUU fishing by 2020.
About Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations(FAO):
Director-General- QU Dongyu
Headquarters– Rome, Italy