Key Information and Communication Technology officers, high-ranking fisheries managers and other public sector fisheries representatives from CARIFORUM member states will be hosted in Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines, next week for a regional training workshop which will focus on information and knowledge-sharing for sustainable fisheries management in the Caribbean.

The training is being organized by PBLH International Consulting SPRL, an independent consulting firm of Brussels, Belgium, on behalf of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM). The CRFM and the ACP Fish II Regional Facilitation Unit (RFU) / ACP Fish II Programme will facilitate the workshop sessions.

The event will be held from Monday, March 25 to Wednesday, March 27, at the National Insurance Services (NIS) Building in Kingstown. St. Vincent’s Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Saboto Caesar will present the feature address at Monday’s opening. CRFM Secretariat Executive Director Milton Haughton and ACP Fish II Regional Coordinator, Dr. Sandra Grant will also address the gathering.

The CRFM/ACP Fish II Training Workshop, which will have more than 30 participants, will enable fisheries authorities from across the Caribbean region to improve data and knowledge sharing by maximizing the use of newly drafted interactive communication tools as well as an avante-garde website being developed for the CRFM.

The regional training will also provide focused support to the CRFM Secretariat and member states, as they build consensus on document goals and targets for the IT component of the Communication Strategy drafted this January.

Participants will also receive technical assistance on upgrading and maintaining a cutting-edge websites for the national fisheries authorities, while learning to maximise the use of the modern communication facilities and tools, including document editing and sharing, forums/e-groups, and web conferencing—all with the purpose of narrowing the cross-regional space for more effective fisheries collaboration.

This initiative will, thereby, ensure that the CRFM meets the management goals stated in the recently endorsed Agreement Establishing a Common Fisheries Policy.

During the past 4 months, PBLH International Consulting SPRL experts Mr. Yacine Khelladi and Mr. Vladimir Abramytchev have been visiting the Caribbean countries for the project titled, “Strengthening the capacity of CRFM and its member states for information and knowledge sharing on sustainable management of fisheries in the Caribbean region”.

They presented the outputs of their extensive work at a regional technical consultation workshop held January 28-29 in Kingstown. Participants also assisted with the formulation of a new Communication Strategy for the CRFM, which will enable member states to enhance the visibility of their actions, enhance coordination and improve data and information sharing.

Fourteen CRFM member states are expected to participate in the upcoming training: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. The Dominican Republic also plans to send a representative to the training.

About the CRFM

The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) was officially inaugurated on 27 March 2003, in Belize City, Belize, where it is headquartered, following the signing of the Agreement Establishing the CRFM on February 4, 2002. It is an inter-governmental organization with its mission being “to promote and facilitate the responsible utilization of the region’s fisheries and other aquatic resources for the economic and social benefits of the current and future population of the region”. The CRFM consist of three bodies: the Ministerial Council; the Caribbean Fisheries Forum; and the CRFM Secretariat.

Website: http://www.caricom-fisheries.com/

ACP Fish II Programme

ACP FISH II is a demand driven programme financed under the 9th European Development Fund aiming at strengthening fisheries management in ACP countries. Its overall objective is to contribute to the sustainable and equitable management of fisheries, thus leading to poverty alleviation and improving food security in ACP states. The specific objective is to strengthen fisheries sectoral policy development and implementation in ACP countries.

For further information on the ACP Fish II Programme, please visit: http://www.acpfish2-eu.org

The ACP Fish II Programme Regional Manager for the Caribbean Region is Sandra Grant ([email protected] / 011(501) 223 2974)