lundi 17 novembre 2014
Mozambique new home for South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission’s Secretariat
The Mozambique Minister of Fisheries, Mr Víctor Manuel Borges, and the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Assistant Director-General for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mr Árni Mathiesen, signed on 12th November a Host Agreement of the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission’s Secretariat.
At the ceremony, Mr Mathiesen said it is “a clear signpost in the history of SWIOFC; a new path just opened for all of us”. On behalf of the Government, Víctor Manuel Borges said that the signature of this Agreement is “an important step that shows Mozambique’s commitment towards the regional cooperation in fisheries”.
Until now, SWIOFC’s Secretariat was located in Harare, Zimbabwe. The country is home to the FAO Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa but it is not a Member of the Commission. SWIOFC is composed of such costal states, which are FAO Members, whose territories are situated wholly or partly within the area of the Commission. Currently it has twelve Members: Comoros, France, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, and Yemen.