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GEORGETOWN, Guyana — The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation (CTA) and the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), on Wednesday during the 12th Caribbean Week of Agriculture here.

Michael Hailu, director, signed on behalf of CTA, while Milton Haughton, executive director, signed on behalf of CRFM.

The two organizations will, over the next five years, collaborate on initiatives and activities for the ultimate benefit of fisheries development in CARICOM/CARIFORUM countries.

The MOU provides an overall framework within which CTA and CRFM will cooperate.

Areas of collaboration include:

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  • policies and strategies formulation and implementation in fisheries, aquaculture and related sectors;
  • climate change adaptation and disaster risk management in the sector;
  • strategies formation for mainstreaming precautionary and ecosystem
  • approaches in fisheries and aquaculture development and management;
  • promoting the review, adoption and implementation of the International
  • Guidelines in Securing Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF Guidelines);
  • promoting the value chain approach to marketing and trading, including intra-regional trading, in fish and fish products;
  • combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and the strengthening of monitoring, control and surveillance capabilities of CARIFORUM/CARICOM States.

Other areas include maximizing new ICT potential for information and, knowledge management, capacity building, sharing and exchange of information and experiences with ACP regions.

It is expected that collaboration of both organizations will lead to improved adoption and use of research findings, resources mobilization, access to sources of relevant information and knowledge, and outreach and impact of CTA and CRFM’s work, among others.

To realize the MOU objectives, CTA and CRFM will work with other like organizations, government agencies, relevant ministries of CARICOM/CARIFORUM countries, in addition to private entities.

The signing was witnessed by the ministerial and technical representatives in agriculture from the region and the Pacific in charge of fisheries in the CARICOM/CARIFORUM countries as well as the executives of key agricultural institutions who are attending the 12th CWA, which ends on Saturday.