A workshop on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and Indian Ocean governance has commenced.
The four-day workshop, which began today at Villa Nautica, is organized jointly by the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea and the Maldivian Government. It is held under a project funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation aimed at enhancing the economic resilience of developing countries and strengthening their strategic capacity to govern ocean territories.
The workshop was inaugurated by the State Minister of the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources, Aminath Hussain Shareef. In her inaugural address, she highlighted the importance of regional cooperation, stating that no single country can protect the health of its oceans in isolation. She noted that while the Law of the Sea provides the framework, regional cooperation provides the means to move forward. The State Minister added that by aligning national ocean governance frameworks with global standards and working together regionally, countries can protect fish stocks, conserve marine biodiversity, and achieve a sustainable economy.
The workshop currently underway in the Maldives aims to familiarize participants with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and other related treaties and agreements, while shedding light on the legal and administrative frameworks for ocean governance at regional and national levels. According to the Fisheries Ministry, discussions will cover matters related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, building a blue economy, shaping policies based on science, and prioritizing ocean governance in the face of climate change.
Forty-seven delegates from 12 member countries, including the Maldives, are participating in the workshop. Following this event, a three-day national workshop is planned to enhance the Maldives' capacity to implement the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA) and to train officials from relevant institutions. The Fisheries Ministry stated that this training program will highlight the work done through Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) and measures that can be taken to combat Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
