Background

​The second regional training course on how to best harness the potential of the fisheries sector for socioeconomic development in the least developed countries and structurally weak, vulnerable and small economies will be held in the Regional Center of Excellence, newly established by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Ministry of Ocean Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping, in Port Louis, Mauritius.

The training course is being held as part of a United Nations Development Account project on building the capacities of selected least developed countries to upgrade and diversify their fish exports. The course builds on the first training course organized at the Asian Regional Center of excellence at the Nha Trang University of Vietnam from 29 October to 9 November 2018, and the findings and recommendations of previous national, regional and interregional capacity-building workshops on fisheries sector development in the least developed countries.

Objective

The objective of the second course is to allow policymakers and practitioners from the least developed countries and other developing countries to benefit from the successful experience of Mauritius in developing its fisheries sector. The course will foster an exchange of experiences, best practices and knowledge among policymakers and experts from several of these countries to build their capacity to better harness the development potential of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors. This includes efforts to meet international food safety and quality standards in markets in developed countries.

Course Content

The training course will be delivered by experts from UNCTAD and the Ministry of Ocean Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping, in partnership with experts from the International Maritime Organization, Nha Trang University of Viet Nam, the International Organization for Standardization, the Royal Tropical Institute of the Netherlands, the Marine Stewardship Council, and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, among others. Particular emphasis will be placed on training the participants in building the human, regulatory and institutional capacities needed for meeting international food safety standards. Participants will also be able to draw on the research capacities for fisheries sector development established at the Ministry of Ocean Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping.