Lomé (Togo) 23-27 October 2023
Every year, thousands of foreign fishing vessels populate African waters with the aim to drain the continent of its rich and diverse species of fish and marine life. A large portion of these vessels is believed to be fishing illegally; this means that vessels may be active in protected waters, catching protected or endangered marine species, extracting fish with environmentally degrading equipment, or fishing without a license altogether.
In 2017, the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme (CCP) launched a training package as part of the UNODC "FishNET" project, funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. Through specialized training focusing on cross cutting elements related to crimes in the fisheries sector (CFS) and tailored to support each region’s specific needs, the Programme brings together working-level officers from Port Control Units (PCUs) involved in the fisheries sector, and other relevant actors, to discuss the multitude of CFS in their respective countries. The overall aim of FishNET is to raise awareness, build capacities, and improve inter-agency cooperation at a regional level.
In October 2023, UNODC’s Passenger and Cargo Border Team (PCBT), through the CCP, implemented a regional workshop for Benin, Ghana, and Togo in Lomé (Togo). Under the recently initiated second phase of FishNET, the training on CFS brought together PCU officers from Accra, Cotonou, and Lomé for a week-long theoretical training activity, including a visit to the Lomé seaports.
The training was led by a Belgian customs officer and a fishery expert from Ghana, with contributions from representatives of fishing ports and the UNODC Global Programme on Crimes that Affect the Environment (GPCAE).
The training sessions focused on threats and trends related to CFS in the region, as well as related risk analysis, cargo control and post-seizure investigations. With the guidance of the experts leading the training, participants had the opportunity to review current and past case studies of real fisheries-related seizures and cargo control as well as understand the applications of the various legal frameworks around CFS.
In addition, a representative from GPCAE delivered an in-depth module on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) where participants were able to gain a deeper understanding of the CITES framework and its applicability to their operational work in relation to fisheries-related crime.
Moreover, visits to both the old and new fishing ports in Lomé were conducted, where private sector representatives joined to exchange relevant operational information with the participants and identify new potential areas of collaboration with the PCU of Lomé.
Based on the end-of-course evaluation, the participants expressed that their knowledge of CFS was enhanced and the aspects of information exchange between various represented countries and national agencies in attendance were invaluable for their efforts in countering CFS in the containerized trade supply chain.
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