PH Leads States to Adopt Outcome of the Review Conference on UN Fish Stocks Agreement

Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative Ariel Rodelas Peñaranda chairs the Drafting Committee of the Review Conference on the UN Fish Stocks Agreement, held on 22-26 May 2023 at the UN Headquarters in New York.  (Photo courtesy of IISD/ENB| Mike Muzurakis)

UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK 29 May 2023 – Ambassador Ariel Rodelas Peñaranda, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations, steered the 2023 Resumed Review Conference towards a consensus outcome document on the UN Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA), which was held from 22-26 May 2023 at the UN Headquarters in New York. Deputy Permanent Representative Peñaranda, elected as Vice President representing the Asia-Pacific Group, was appointed by the Review Conference President, Professor Joji Morishita of Japan, to chair the Drafting Committee for the outcome document.

The UNFSA, a multilateral treaty ratified to date by 92 States Parties, is formally known as the Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks. One issue being addressed by the Review Conference is illegal fishing and the decline in the numbers of many fish species, which impacts on the fishing sector and food security of many countries.

Ambassador and Permanent Representative Antonio M. Lagdameo of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations welcomed the outcome, noting that, “as an archipelagic state, with significant interest in sustainable fisheries and the conservation of marine resources, we are pleased that our proposal on building capacities of developing states, based on their needs and challenges, has found firm footing in the outcome document.” He noted that capacity-building covers areas of science, data collection and reporting, monitoring, control and surveillance, port and flag state control, and fisheries management.

In his statement, Director Demosthenes R. Escoto of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said that the Philippines reaffirms its commitment to strengthening the implementation of the UNFSA and to adhere to UNCLOS as the broad legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out, including serving as the foundation for sustainable fisheries.

Mr. Joeren S. Yleaña, also of BFAR, stressed in his intervention that participation in regional fisheries management organizations/arrangements (RFMO/As) is a key mechanism in the implementation of the UNFSA. “Capacities of developing states should be developed to enhance their participation in RFMO/As, including in decision-making,” he added.

The Review Conference is mandated under article 36 of the UNFSA to assess the effectiveness of the Agreement in securing the conservation and management of straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks by reviewing and assessing the adequacy of its provisions and, if necessary, proposing means of strengthening the substance and methods of implementation of those provisions to better address any continuing problems in the conservation and management of those stocks.

The Philippine delegation to the Review Conference was led by Ambassador and Permanent Representative Antonio M. Lagdameo of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations. Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) officials, namely, Director Atty. Demosthenes R. Escoto and Mr. Joeren S. Yleaña, also participated in the conference. The Philippine Mission’s First Secretary and Legal Adviser Azela Arumpac-Marte, Attaché Charlene A. Beriana and Adviser Liezel Saldivar completed the delegation. END

The Philippine delegation to the Review Conference on the UN Fish Stocks Agreement—Ambassador and Permanent Representative Antonio M. Lagdameo (center), Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative Ariel Rodelas Peñaranda (rightmost), First Secretary Azela Arumpac-Marte (2nd from left), BFAR Director Demosthenes R. Escoto, BFAR Aquaculturist Joeren S. Yleaña and Attaché Charlene A. Beriana—pose for a photograph after a briefing on Review Conference of the UN Fish Stocks Agreement.  (Photo courtesy of New York PM)

The President, Professor Joji Morishita of Japan, and the participants of the Review Conference of the UN Fish Stocks Agreement after the meeting on 26 May 2023 at the UN Headquarters in New York.  (Photo courtesy of IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis)

For more information, visit https://www.newyorkpm.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.un.int/philippines or https://www.facebook.com/PHMissionNY/.