The NEPAD Agency was among participants at the 30^th Committee of Fisheries (COFI) meeting which ended in Rome today. The body is a unit of the Council of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). It is the only global inter-governmental forum where major international fisheries and aquaculture issues are examined and recommendations addressed to relevant stakeholders.

The following are some of the issues discussed and actions taken during the meeting:

• Adoption of the revised Rules of Procedure of the Committee
• Status of world fisheries and aquaculture
• Recent major developments and future work in selected fisheries and aquaculture activities of FAO
• Update on the development of International Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries
• Combating Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing
• FAO's Programme of Work in fisheries and aquaculture
• Decisions and recommendations of the Sixth Session of the COFI Sub-Committee on Aquaculture, Cape Town, South Africa, 26-30 March 2012

L-R Steve Cunningham, (NEPAD/PAF), Peter Sinon (Minister of Fisheries, Seychelles), Soccoh Kabia (Minister of Fisheries, Sierra Leone), Alushe Hitula (NEPAD/PAF)