Des organisations de la Société civile lancent la Charte mondiale pour la transparence des pêches lors de la conférence Our Ocean 2023

Une nouvelle feuille de route visant à faire progresser la gouvernance marine dans le monde est présentée lors du lancement de la Charte par la Coalition pour la transparence des pêches.

PANAMA (VILLE), Panama, 10 mars 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —  La Coalition pour la transparence des pêches (une nouvelle communauté internationale d’organisations de la société civile) a lancé aujourd’hui la Charte mondiale pour la transparence des pêches. La Charte identifie les priorités les plus essentielles pour lutter contre la mauvaise gestion des pêches, la pêche illégale et les violations des Droits de l’Homme en mer. Des experts, des ministres et des délégués d’organisations et d’entreprises internationales à travers le monde ont discuté des avantages de la Charte jeudi et vendredi au Panama lors de la conférence Our Ocean – , une rencontre annuelle permettant aux pays, à la société civile et à l’industrie d’annoncer des actions importantes pour sauvegarder les océans du monde.

« Le Ghana reconnait le rôle essentiel que la transparence joue dans la lutte engagée contre la pêche illégale afin de protéger les moyens de subsistance et d’assurer la sécurité alimentaire de nos communautés côtières », a déclaré l’honorable Mavis Hawa Koomson, ministre ghanéenne de la Pêche et développement de l’Aquaculture. « Au vu des progrès significatifs que le Ghana a réalisés au cours de l’année dernière pour mettre fin aux pratiques de pêche nuisibles qui ont favorisé la pêche illégale dans nos eaux, nous travaillons désormais à redoubler d’efforts pour soutenir la transparence des pêches au Ghana. »

La Professeure Maxine Burkett, sous-secrétaire adjointe du Département d’État américain pour les Océans, la Pêche et les Affaires polaires, a souligné comment les États-Unis jouent un rôle de premier plan dans l’amélioration de la transparence des pêches mondiales.

Elle a déclaré : « L’année dernière, le Président Biden a publié un mémorandum sur la sécurité nationale qui reconnaît l’importance de la transparence dans la lutte contre la pêche illicite, non déclarée et non réglementée (INN) et les abus associés au travail forcé ». « En améliorant le partage d’informations productives, la Charte mondiale pour la transparence des pêches servira de complément important aux activités du gouvernement américain afin de mettre fin à la pêche INN grâce à l’amélioration de la gouvernance des pêches et des océans, à l’intensification des efforts d’application des lois, et au renforcement de l’ambition de mettre un terme à la pêche INN à l’échelle mondiale. »

Par ailleurs, des initiatives de partenariat mondial, comme l’Initiative pour la Transparence des Pêches (FiTI), ont souligné l’importance d’une collaboration égale et multipartite visant à accroître la transparence dans les pays côtiers afin de parvenir à une gestion durable des pêches maritimes.

« Compte tenu de la complexité de la gouvernance de la pêche, de multiples efforts de transparence sont nécessaires pour faire face aux différents défis de la pêche marine non durable, tels que la surpêche, la pêche INN, l’inégalité d’accès à la ressource, a déclaré le Dr Valeria Merino, Présidente du Conseil d’administration de l’Initiative pour la Transparence des Pêches (FiTI). « Les 10 principes de la Charte mondiale pour la transparence des pêches reconnaissent le besoin d’une approche globale et coordonnée de la transparence des pêches, et ont le potentiel de soutenir les efforts mondiaux existants, tels que la FiTI, grâce à une mobilisation indispensable des organisations de la société civile pour garantir que les activités de pêche marine sont légales, éthiques et durables”. »

Pour finir, M. Wakao Hanaoka, Président-Directeur général de Seafood Legacy (Japon) et membre du comité directeur de la Coalition pour la transparence des pêches, a souligné le rôle de la société civile visant à maximiser l’impact collectif pour améliorer la transparence. « Notre adhésion à la Coalition pour la transparence dans la pêche représente la voix d’une communauté internationale qui nous permet de renforcer et d’amplifier nos efforts au sein de l’industrie des produits de la mer et du gouvernement pour atteindre notre objectif de faire du Japon un leader mondial en matière de durabilité environnementale et de responsabilité sociale”, a-t-il expliqué. » a-t-il expliqué.

La Charte mondiale pour la transparence des pêches présente une nouvelle feuille de route visant à faire évoluer la gouvernance maritime au niveau international en fournissant un ensemble de principes de sensibilisation à la fois efficaces et réalisables par toutes les parties prenantes engagées dans la gouvernance et la gestion des pêches.

« Des efforts de sensibilisation continus déployés par les organisations de la société civile sont essentiels pour améliorer la gouvernance des pêches au niveau international ainsi que pour protéger l’océan et les personnes qui dépendent de ses ressources », a commenté Maisie Pigeon, directrice de la Coalition pour la transparence des pêches. « La mission de la Coalition, qui est de réaliser un changement urgent vers une plus grande transparence dans les pêcheries, sera accomplie grâce au soutien de nos membres dans le développement de stratégies communes, l’harmonisation et le renforcement des efforts, et enfin en comblant les lacunes politiques en matière de transparence dans la gouvernance des pêcheries”, a-t-elle conclu “, a-t-elle conclu », 

Par le biais d’organisations de la société civile du monde entier, la Coalition pour la transparence des pêches appelle les gouvernements à appliquer les principes de la Charte dans la législation et la pratique.

Contact avec la presse : Agata Mrowiec agata@fisheriestransparency.net +34 608 517 552

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8786087

DR Congo’s M23 ceasefire: Angola to deploy troops after failed truce

_: Angola says it will send a military unit to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, days after a truce it brokered failed to end fighting.

Both sides in the conflict – the M23 rebels and government troops – have accused each other of breaking the ceasefire that began on Tuesday.

An East African force was also recently deployed to the area, which is rich in minerals and has dozens of militias.

The UN says the conflict forced 300,000 people from their homes last month.

This happened in North-Kivu province, which borders Rwanda and Uganda, and is a fertile and mountainous area long plundered by rival groups.

There is increasing concern about the humanitarian crisis caused by the fighting, which was still ongoing on Friday.

The European Union has just started an operation to fly in aid to the regional capital, Goma, saying humanitarian agencies have become overwhelmed.

A statement from the Angolan president’s office said the soldiers would be deployed to help secure areas that have been held by the M23 rebel group and to protect ceasefire monitors.

Kenyan soldiers, who are part of the East African Community Regional Force, have deployed to these areas too.

The rebels, who are widely reported to be backed by Rwanda, had just hours earlier said they would withdraw from several captured villages.

The Congolese government will welcome the arrival of Angolan troops to help in the fight against the rebels.

But there is a danger of this becoming a wider international conflict.

More than 20 years ago the armies of at least eight African countries fought a war in eastern DR Congo, dubbed “Africa’s world war”, that caused immense suffering for the civilian population.

Rwanda has for many years criticised the Congolese authorities for failing to disarm Hutu rebels – some of whom are linked to the Rwandan genocide in 1994.

It denies backing the M23, which has captured vast swathes of territory over the past year and has been advancing towards Goma.

A decade ago, M23 fighters also captured large parts of North Kivu – but were eventually routed by UN and regional troops and as part of a peace deal disarmed.

They began regrouping early last year.

Largely made up of Congolese army deserters, they first took up arms in 2009 accusing the government of marginalising the country’s ethnic Tutsi minority and failing to honour previous peace accords.

Source: BBC

Bahrain: IPU General Assembly starts Saturday at Exhibition World Bahrain

Manama – The 146th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), with the participation of Angola, opens this Saturday in one of the halls of the Exhibition World Bahrain (EWB), in Manama, capital of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The event, which will be attended by 1,300 parliamentarians from 178 national parliaments and 12 regional assemblies, will be focused on analysing the organisation’s strategies to combat climate change, accountability at all levels and the transformation of speeches into actions, until the 15th of this month.

Also on the agenda is the strengthening of climate legislation to reduce emissions of polluting gases and support for a transition to clean energy.

The Angolan delegation, headed by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira, has on the agenda, before the opening ceremony of the event, to participate in the meeting of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP)’s Group, which will serve to define strategies for action of the bloc during the event.

On Friday, the day before the start of the event, the Southern African Development Community (SADC)’s Group, at a strategic meeting, submitted to its members the approval of the reports of the Kigali Meeting (Rwanda), held in October 2022, the report of the executive committee, as well as the analysis of emergency points on the situation in some countries in the region and the filling of vacancies in the organisation.

The parliamentarians of the SADC Group expressed support during the meeting for Angola to host, in October this year, the 147th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IUP).

During the meeting, Angola also presented its candidacy to occupy the vacant position in the SADC Youth Group.

Regarding the support and vote of confidence of the SADC Group, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira, said it was the recognition of Angola´s role in the region.

Carolina Cerqueira said that the country has the human, material and technical conditions to host the next assembly of the IPU.

On the sidelines of the meetings of the SADC and African Geopolitical groups, on Friday Carolina Cerqueira had a meeting with a delegation from the Parliament of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), led by its Vice Speaker, Andre Mbata, to discuss the situation in the easernt region of the DRC and the state of the bilateral cooperation between the two parliaments.

The Angolan official expressed full support and solidarity for an urgent and lasting peace that will bring more stability to Central Africa, particularly in the Great Lakes sub-region, regional security and alleviate the suffering of the local populations.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is the main parliamentary interlocutor of the United Nations.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

CAHB official starts inspection for pre-Olympics

Luanda – The Kilamba pavilion, hotels and hospitals will be the main buildings to be inspected, starting Monday in Luanda by Aissa Sy, secretary general of the African Handball Confederation (CAHB).

The continental sports official, who has been in the country since Friday, will work until Monday to confirm what condition Angola has to host the women’s pre-Olympic tournament, from 10 to 12 September, to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games to take place in Paris.

On her arrival in Angola, CAHB representative visited the Angolan Handball Federation (FAAND), and she was received by the vice presidents of the Federation Domingos Nascimento and Nair Almeida, as well as the Federation secretary general, Onédio Silva.

Six years after hosting the 22nd edition of the African Senior Women’s Handball Championship, Angola is about to hold another great sports event which is promoted by the African Handball Confederation.

The competition is reserved for the top four teams from the last African championships, held in Senegal in 2022, namely Angola, Cameroon, Senegal and Congo.

The pre-Olympic tournaments began to be played in 2015, when the African championships ceased to be qualifiers for the games organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Angola hosted the first edition from 19 to 21 March with the participation of national teams from Tunisia, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Senegal.

From 26 to 29 September 2019, the Senegalese city of Dakar hosted the qualifying competition for the 2020 games in Tokyo. Once again Angola won and qualified.

In the Tokyo Olympic tournament, Angola ended in the 10th position.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

Angola announces sending of peacekeeping forces to DRC

Luanda – Angola announced Saturday it will send a Contingent of troops to Support Peacekeeping Operations of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The information was disclosed on the official page of the Presidency of the Republic on the social network Facebook, stating that the unit’s main objective is to ensure the cantonment areas for the M23 elements and to protect the members of the Ad Hoc Verification Mechanism.

The Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, chairs the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and is also the African Union (AU) mediator in the crisis between Rwanda and the DRC.

The note specifies that Angola took the initiative to inform the leaders of the region about this adjustment, within the framework of coordination between the Luanda and Nairobi Processes, as well as the United Nations, the African Union and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).

The statement adds that the President of the Republic and Commander-in-Chief of the Angolan Armed Forces will request the competent authorization from the National Assembly.

The deployment of the Angolan Armed Forces Contingent is part of the decisions taken by the different mini-summits on the peace and security process in the DRC, in accordance with Angola’s responsibilities as a mediator.

The statement adds that the decision of the Republic of Angola was preceded by consultations with the authorities of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

Bahrain: Angola defends digital legislation

Manama – Angola defended Saturday in Manama, capital of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the need for the implementation of a digital legislation to combat misuse of social networks.

According to the MP Idalina Valente, who was speaking to the press on the sidelines of the Women Parliamentarians Forum, the approval of an adequate legislation will prevent or reduce the occurrence of cyber crimes, with irreparable damage to the lives of people, organizations and institutions.

Idalina Valente said the aim is not to cut freedom of expression or to jeopardize democracy, but only to encourage the proper use of social networks.

“It’s not to curb freedom of speech, but to defend human rights, particularly those of women, who are most affected by the misuse of social media, and democracy. We also want to prevent the damage that the misuse of digital networks causes to people, institutions, and organizations”, the politician said.

The MP, who praised the benefits of social networks when well used, said to defame, slander, and attack people’s personality can cause, among other damages, the death of the offended.

Regarding the issues addressed in the forum, Idalina Valente stressed that women continue to show leadership and resilience, with actions that contribute to the social and political well-being of the communities.

The MP added that it is imperative to encourage the promotion of women to lead certain processes that concern their social well-being, in cases such as the fight against climate change, effects of drought, among others.

The politician cited as an example the actions carried out by the environmentalist Fernanda Renée, whose action focuses on the recovery of mangroves in the Angolan coastline, stressing that this is an initiative that should be embraced by all.

The deputy also spoke of aspects related to world peace and security.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union is composed of 178 national parliaments and 12 regional assemblies. It is currently the main parliamentary interlocutor for the United Nations.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

Fisheries Ministry projects better conditions for scientific research

Luanda – The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources has set as one of its priorities the expansion of infrastructure and acquisition of new equipment for the National Institute for Fisheries Research (INIP), in order to provide better comfort to human capital in general and scientists in particular.

Carmen Neto, the incumbent minister of the sector, who did not advance the date of the beginning of the works, said the sector is working to build a new facility and expand the infrastructure for marine research to improve working conditions of professionals of this field.

Speaking to the press Saturday at the end of a visit to the infrastructure of INIP and the Center for Support to Artisanal Fisheries (CAPA), both located on the island of Luanda, the minister acknowledged the existence of a considerable increase in demand for the services of INIP, a fact that requires the ministerial department to work to expand the workspaces and provide the institution with new technological means.

She commended the work being done by INIP, highlighting the institution’s top quality in conducting fishing research activities.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

João Lourenço meets with Sheik Al Nahyan

Luanda – Angola Head of State João Lourenço on Saturday had a courtesy meeting with the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

João Lourenço arrived in Abu Dhabi from Tokyo (Japan) on Saturday , a statement issued by the President’s Press Office said.

The two Heads of State assessed the state of bilateral relations and sought for opportunities for future collaboration in areas such as investment, trade, renewable energy and food security, for the benefit of both countries and peoples.

The two presidents exchanged views on the COP28 Climate Summit to be held in December in Dubai, and stressed the importance of each country working towards sustainability, climate action and environmental protection.

The diplomatic relations between Angola and the UAE were established on December 11, 1997, with the Angolan diplomatic representation in Abu Dhabi opened on September 21, 2008, while the UAE opened on August 1, 2016 its representation in Luanda.

The two countries enjoy active economic cooperation. Bilateral trade reache1.9 million in June 2020, with trade between the two nations increasing since 2004, involving a diverse range of goods and raw materials, such as ornamental rocks, diamonds, oil and other minerals.

Non-oil trade between the two countries reached1.6 billion US dollars at the end of 2017, a 38 percent increase from the previous 1.15 billion US dollars reached in 2016.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

Angola concludes work agenda at UN Women´s Summit

New York – The minister of Social Action, Family and Promotion of Women, Ana Paula do Sacramento Neto, concluded Friday her working agenda at the United Nations headquarters in New York, after attending the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

In fulfilment of her agenda, the Angolan official participated in the Ministerial Open Debate of the Security Council, having made a statement on behalf of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries, under the theme “Women, Peace and Security Towards the 25th Anniversary of Resolution 1325”.

On behalf of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) Ana Paula do Sacramento Neto also spoke on the general debate of the 67th Session on the Status of Women in which she noted the investment of the Angolan Government in innovation and technology with the inclusion of women and young women in the different projects underway in the country, aiming to develop the field of new technologies.

Ana Paula do Sacramento Neto took part in several round tables and interactive panels, having chaired a working breakfast with her CPLP counterparts on the sidelines of the session, with the aim of reviewing the state of cooperation between member states.

On her last working day in New York, the minister granted a interview to the Official UN news agency (UN NEWS) and took the opportunity to note the Angolan Government’s actions to achieve gender equality, women and young women empowerment, through innovation and technological change in digital era, strategies to fight fake news, as well as the strengthening cooperation with the CPLP countries in issues regarding gender, science and technology.

Meanwhile, work will continue at the experts level until the 17th of this month for the elaboration of the conclusions and recommendations of the 67th Session on the Status of Women.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)