Report of the first meeting of the Strategy ad hoc Working Group, Rome, 3–7 April 2023

Book excerpt: This document contains the report of the first meeting of the Strategy ad hoc Working Group (SWG) established by the Parties to the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (hereinafter referred to as the Agreement or the PSMA), held at FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy, from 3 to 7 April 2023. It was attended by 55 Parties to the Agreement, and by observers from 23 States, 11 intergovernmental, 5 international non-governmental organizations and one specialized agency from the United Nations (UN). In line with its Terms of Reference adopted by the Parties, the SWG discussed aspects to improve the effectiveness of the PSMA, namely in relation to increasing adherence to the Agreement, the fulfilment of Parties’ responsibilities, mechanisms for the monitoring, review and assessment of the implementation of the Agreement, as well as resources required for the sustainable functioning of the Agreement. On the basis of the discussions and on the consolidated recommendations emanating from the four PSMA regional coordination meetings convened in 2022, the SWG developed a draft Strategy to Improve the Effectiveness of the PSMA and agreed to put it forward for consideration at the Fourth Meeting of Parties (MoP4).