The Global
Environment Facility (GEF)-funded and Food Agriculture Organisation
(FAO) project, formed part of global effort to improve fisheries management in
the common oceans
The chief executive officer, CEO of GEF, Naoko Ishii told NaijaAgroNet that they approved
a project coordinated by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to
improve the health and sustainability of tuna fisheries worldwide by reducing
illegal catch and supporting related marine ecosystems and species.
The GEF, an international institution uniting 183 countries
to address global environmental issues and support sustainable development,
approved funding for the implementation phase of the multi-partner project
coordinated by FAO which aims to improve management of tuna fisheries on the
high seas and conserve biodiversity of related marine ecosystems and species.
It will reduce illegal catches of the far-ranging, highly-prized and globally
consumed fish.
Ishii pointed out that the latest decision sets the stage
for action on a global scale that will address both an economic and
environmental threat to one of the world's most important commercial fish
species.
"I am pleased that we are able to bring together both
public and private partners in this project, which give us a fighting chance to
work on a scale sufficient to reverse negative trends threatening the global
tuna fishery and the ocean environment that sustains it," Ishii said.
Till
date, according to NaijaAgroNet
investigations, an estimated $30 million in GEF grants has leveraged over
$150 million of co-financing in support of the project, which forms part of a
broader multi-stakeholder initiative working to ensure that these precious
resources are harvested in a sustainable way.
Nenye Dom/GEE
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