1. The Technical Consultation on the Feasibility of Developing Non-Discriminatory Technical Guidelines for Eco-Labelling of Products from Marine Capture Fisheries was held in Rome, Italy, from 21 to 23 October 1998. It was attended by 45 Members of FAO, as well as observers from three intergovernmental organizations and seven international non-governmental organizations.

2. The list of delegates and observers is given in Appendix B. The documents which were before the Technical Consultation are listed in Appendix C.

3 . The meeting was called to order by Mr. M. Hayashi, Assistant Director-General, Fisheries Department, who delivered the opening statement. The text of this statement is reproduced in Appendix D.

4. When calling for nominations for Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and Rapporteur, Mr. Hayashi suggested that in view of the short duration of the meeting, the Consultation proceed without a Rapporteur and that the report be drafted by the Secretariat. It would be submitted to the Consultation for adoption on 23 October 1998. The proposal was accepted.

5. Responding to the request for nominations for Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson, Mr. Mohamed Said Mohamed Ali Harbi, Chairperson of the Group of 77, informed the meeting that he had had consultations with the Ambassador of Germany to FAO as Chairperson of the Group of OECD countries and reached agreement that the Officers of the Sixth Session of the COFI Sub-Committee on Fish Trade held in Bremen, Germany (June 1998), should serve in the same capacity at this Technical Consultation. The Technical Consultation accepted the proposal and thus elected Mr. Osman Mohamed Saeed (Sudan) as Chairperson and Ms. Jane Willing (New Zealand) as Vice-Chairperson.

6. The delegate of Spain registered a formal protest against making the documents in Spanish available considerably later than the English version, which consequently put those who had to rely on the Spanish version in a disadvantageous position with regard to time available for preparing for the meeting. The delegate of Spain requested that in future the mandatory practice of making all language versions available at the same time be followed so that all delegations may be treated equally. The Secretariat apologized for the inconvenience and said that the delay in the translation was due to the very tight timeframe of the preparation of the meeting. The delegate of Sudan praised the use of Arabic as a working language of the meeting.

7. The agenda shown in Appendix A was adopted by the Technical Consultation.

8. The Secretariat introduced document FI:EMF/98/2 addressing this agenda item. In response to this, the Chairperson highlighted the following:

• the linkages with other international instruments;


• the process through which guidelines for eco-labelling could eventually be drafted;


• the need to ensure that it would not imply technical barriers to trade; and


• the need to ensure that any guidelines, if such were developed by FAO, should safeguard and enhance the interests of developing countries.

9. During the analysis and discussions on the subject no agreement was reached regarding the practicability and feasibility of FAO drafting technical guidelines for eco-labelling for marine fisheries products. Hence the meeting could not arrive at an agreement on making a recommendation to the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) with respect to this matter. In those circumstances it was agreed that only the present report would be presented to COFI.

10. It was recognized that there existed some segments of the market in some countries that demanded information on the sustainability of marine fisheries, which has given rise to the development of private initiatives for eco-labelling. It was widely recognized that any possible development of guidelines for eco-labelling would be a complex task which would need to be undertaken in a step-by-step manner. Other delegations suggested that it may be more feasible to develop only procedural and technical guidelines that would ensure procedural issues such as transparency, accountability, etc. (see par. 11). The timeframe for development should take into account the need for governments to consult with their fishing industries and other stakeholders that should have an interest in or would be affected by an eco-labelling system.

11. There was consensus that if an agreement was eventually reached on the feasibility of elaborating guidelines for eco-labelling this should be consistent with the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and, in addition, should consider inter alia the following principles:

• be of a voluntary nature and market driven;


• be transparent;


• be Non-discriminatory, do not create obstacles to trade and allow for fair competition;


• establish clear accountability for the promoters of schemes and for the certifying bodies in conformity with international standards;


• there should be a reliable auditing and verification process;


• recognize the sovereign rights of States and comply with all relevant laws and regulations;


• ensure equivalence of standards between countries;


• be based on the best scientific evidence;


• be practical, viable and verifiable;


• ensure that labels communicate truthful information;


• must provide for clarity.

12. It was stressed that, if so decided by COFI, the development of technical guidelines should take into account and be consistent with on-going related work by other inter-governmental organizations, in particular the World Trade Organization (WTO). It was further mentioned to take into account the work of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the procedures adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission as well as other relevant experiences in the subject.

13. There was some debate as to whether eco-labelling should reflect information related to the management process or to its outcome. It was agreed that further consideration of the subject was necessary.

14. While there was widespread recognition that biological and fisheries conservation criteria are fundamental to eco-labelling, some delegates emphasized that social and economic criteria should also be considered. In this context, it was also emphasized by many delegations that social and economic objectives in a fishery were a matter of national policy and that any private eco-labelling system could not prescribe management policy to States or infringe upon their sovereign rights.

15. It was suggested that consideration needed to be given to the costs and benefits of eco-labelling and whether there would be real net gains to fisheries through eco-labelling or whether it would just add to the transaction costs of fisheries. The impact of eco-labelling on domestic food security also needed to be considered.

16. The concern was expressed by many countries about whether an eco-labelling system could lead to barriers to trade and reduce market opportunities. This concern was expressed particularly by delegates from many developing countries, which could be at risk of being excluded from important markets.

17. The need to take regional and national differences into account in any possible development of guidelines on eco-labelling was stressed and the potential difficulties of eco-labelling in fisheries dominated by small-scale fishers were emphasized. It was also pointed out that the requirements of consumers differed from region to region and that this would affect the nature of eco-labelling schemes in different parts of the world.

18. It was emphasized that, in keeping with Article 5 of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, if FAO did develop guidelines for eco-labelling, the process should be accompanied by both financial and technical assistance for developing countries to build in an adequate timeframe the capacity necessary to participate in and benefit from eco-labelling systems.

19. There were doubts expressed about the effectiveness of eco-labelling schemes as an instrument for promoting sustainable marine fisheries. It was pointed out that considerable progress had been made in implementing the Code in many countries and that such efforts were continuing. However, the international community, including consumers, was generally unaware of this progress, particularly in developing countries, and it was beyond their resources to publicize the progress they had made. It was therefore agreed that an international information campaign was necessary to publicize the efforts and achievements in the application of the Code.

20. In introducing document FI:EMF/98/3, the Secretariat emphasized that what was required by the Consultation under this agenda item was not the drafting of the guidelines as such but the identification of all pertinent items which would need to be covered in them. The Consultation took note of the document prepared by the Secretariat but did not elaborate further on its contents. The Consultation considered it to be a working paper.

21. It was observed that document FI:EMF/98/3 highlighted a number of difficult and unresolved issues, such as the need to consider how to address multi-species resources in eco-labelling and what constitutes a "stock". The institutional structures required for eco-labelling were also pointed out as an unresolved issue. It was stated that these and other similar examples demonstrated the need for a gradual approach to developing guidelines if it was so decided.

22. It was suggested that if guidelines were to be developed, they should aim to provide globally applicable minimum criteria to be included in any eco-labelling scheme. These minimum criteria would then serve as a reference for the elaboration of detailed criteria needed for specific eco-labelling schemes. There was unanimity that FAO would have no role to play in the implementation of any scheme. It was also recognized that the guidelines would need to consider the process by which eco-labelling would be undertaken.

23. There was agreement that any future examination of the feasibility of developing possible Non-discriminatory technical guidelines for eco-labelling products from marine capture fisheries should consider not only the inherent technical aspects but also matters linked to its economic feasibility. In this sense it was considered fitting that a cost-benefit analysis of these guidelines should be carried out. Furthermore it was considered necessary to continue the analysis of legal feasibility in the light of the rules and principles of international trade, in particular those laid out in the framework of the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade of the WTO. Some delegations stated that if guidelines were to be developed FAO was the most appropriate entity to do this. Such a framework could contribute to avoiding potential consumer confusion which might be the result of the occurrence of manifold and competing eco-labelling schemes based on diverse certification criteria. There was agreement that FAO should continue examining the feasibility of developing such guidelines.

24. The Technical Consultation agreed that, if COFI decided that FAO should prepare technical guidelines, the process of drafting the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries should be followed, and they should be voluntary. The timeframe given in document FI:EMF/98/4 was subject to later adjustment.

25. The report of the Technical Consultation was adopted on 23 October 1998.

1. Opening of the Technical Consultation

2. Election of Chair and Vice-Chair

3. Adoption of the Agenda

4. Feasibility and practicability of developing globally applicable, Non-discriminatory technical guidelines for eco-labelling products from marine capture fisheries

5. Contents and format of technical guidelines

6. Procedure for the elaboration of technical guidelines

7. Adoption of the Report

Carlos AMARAL
Représentant permanent suppléant
Ambassade de la République d’Angola
Via Filippo Bernardini 21
00165 Rome, Italy

Ariel FERNÁNDEZ
Representante Permanente Alterno
Representación Permanente de la República
Argentina ante la FAO
Via del Banco di S. Spirito 42 - IV piso
00186 Roma, Italia

María Andrea FORBES
Representación Permanente de la República
Argentina ante la FAO
Via del Banco di S. Spirito 42 - IV piso
00186 Roma, Italia

Murray JOHNS
Director
Sustainable Fisheries Section
Fisheries and Aquaculture Branch
Petroleum and Fisheries Division
Department of Primary Industries and
Energy
Canberra

Andrew PEARSON
Alternate Permanent Representative of
Australia to FAO
Australian Embassy
Via Alessandria 215
00198 Rome, Italy

José Roberto DE ALMEIDA PINTO
Deputy Permanent Representative
Permanent Representation of the Federative
Republic of Brazil to FAO
Via di S. Maria dell'Anima 32
00186 Rome, Italy

João Mauricio CABRAL DE MELLO
Alternate Permanent Representative
Permanent Representation of the
Federative Republic of Brazil to FAO
Via di S. Maria dell'Anima 32
00186 Rome, Italy

David BALFOUR
Director General
Program Planning and Coordination
Fisheries Management
Fisheries and Oceans
200 Kent Street
St. 14062W
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0E6

Ronald ROSE
Deputy Permanent Representative
of Canada to FAO
Canadian Embassy
Via Zara 30
00198 Rome, Italy

Sylvian SEGARD
Chief, Economic Analysis
Fisheries and Oceans
200 Kent Street
St. 14062W
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0E6

Melissa NEWHOOK (Ms)
Economist
Fisheries and Oceans
200 Kent Street
St. 14062W
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0E6

Lennox O’Riley HINDS
Senior Advisor
Oceans, Marine Affairs and Fisheries
Policy Branch
Canadian International Development
Agency
200 Promenade du Portage
Hull, Quebec K1A 0G4

Carlos Alberto ÉVORA ROCHA
Directeur générale des pêches
Ministère du tourisme, transports et mer
B.P. 206
Praia

Eduardo J. LIMA BARROS SILVA
Représentant permanent adjoint de la
République du Cap-Vert auprès de la FAO
Ambassade de la République du Cap-Vert
Via Giosué Carducci 4 - Int. 3
00187 Rome, Italy

Shengyao TANG
Alternate Permanent Representative
Permanent Representation of the
People's Republic of China to FAO
Via della Caffarella 9
00179 Rome

Andre KAMBA
Directeur de cabinet, Ministre de la pêche et
des ressources halieutiques
Ministère de la pêche et des ressources
halieutiques
B.P.13545
Brazzaville

Andreas ROUSHIAS
Alternate Permanent Representative
Permanent Representation of the Republic of
Cyprus to FAO
Piazza Farnese 44
00186 Rome, Italy

Odma JOHANNESEN (Ms)
Head of Section
Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries
Holbergsgade 2
DK-1057 Copenhagen K

Eyofinnur FINNSSON
Adviser
Government of the Faroe Islands
Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
Tórshavn
Birgitte MØLLER CHRISTENSEN (Ms)
Deputy Permanent Representative of
Denmark to FAO
Royal Danish Embassy
Via dei Monti Parioli 50
00197 Rome, Italy

Renato DEL CAMPO CHANGUÍN
Director General de Pesca
Ministerio de Comercio Exterior,
Industrialización y Pesca
V.M. Rendón 1006 y Lorenzo de Garaicoa
Edificio Huancavilca
Guayaquil

Miguel CARBO BENITES
Representante Permanente Adjunto de la
República del Ecuador ante la FAO
Embajada de la República del Ecuador
Via Guido d'Arezzo 14
00198 Roma, Italia

Lauri VAARYA
Director General
Ministry of Environment
Kopli I6
10416 Tallinn

Elena SUETT-ASKERTAM (Ms)
Permanent Representative
Permanent Representation of the
Republic of Estonia to FAO
Via dei Corazzieri 94
00143 Rome

(Member Organization/Organisation membre/Organización Miembro)

Baudoin SURY
Chef d’Unité DG.XIV-A-4
200 Rue de la Loi
B-1049 Bruxelles, Belgique

Lisa MACKIE (Mlle)
Expert national détaché auprès de la
DG.XIV-A-4
200 Rue de la Loi
B-1049 Bruxelles, Belgique

Sandrine SELLIER (Mme)
Adjoint au Chef du Bureau de l’organisation
et des marchés
Direction des pêches maritimes et des
cultures marines
Ministère de l’agriculture et de la pêche
7 Place Fontenoy
75007 Paris

Harmut SCHLAPPER
Counsellor
Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture
and Forestry
P.O. Box 140270
53107 Bonn

Karl-Josef WEIERS
Deputy Permanent Representative
Permanent Representation of the Federal
Republic of Germany to FAO
Via S. Martino della Battaglia 4
00185 Rome, Italy

Thierno Aliou DIALLO
Chef du Service d’études et planification
Ministère de la pêche et de l’élevage
BP 307 Conakry

Kristján SKARPHÉðINSSON
Head of Department
Ministry of Fisheries
Skúlagata 4, 150
Reykjavík

Kristján THORARINSSON
Population Ecologist
The Federation of Icelandic Fishing
Vessels Owners
P.O. Box 893
121 Reykjavík

Ebrahim MAYGOLINEJAD
Head of Public Relations and International
Affairs of Shilat
Fisheries Department
Jehad-e-Sazandagi
Blv. Keshavarz
Teheran

Bader J. ALLAWI
Permanent Representative
Permanent Representation of the
Republic of Iraq to FAO
Via della Camilluccia 355
00135 Rome, Italy

Rosaria Felicita SABATELLA (Ms)
Economist
IREPA
Via S. Leonardo Trav. Migliaro
84131, Salerno

Masayuki KOMATSU
Director for International Negotiations
Fisheries Agency of Japan
1-2-1 Kasumigaseki
Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo, 100-8907

Kiyoshi KATSUYAMA
Deputy Director, International
Affairs Division
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries
Fisheries Agency of Japan
1-2-1 Kasumigaseki
Chiyoda-Ku
Tokyo, 100-8907

Masashi NISHIMURA
Assistant Manager
Japan Fisheries Association
9-13, Akasaka-l, Minato-ku
Tokyo 107-0052

Yoshio KANEKO
Director
Global Guardian Trust
Toranomon 3-7-5, Minato-ku
Tokyo

Takanori OHASHI
Alternate Permanent Representative of Japan
to FAO
Embassy of Japan
Via Quintino Sella 60
00187 Rome, Italy

Ricards DERKACS
Head, International Agreements and
Legal Division
National Board of Fisheries
Ministry of Agriculture
Republic Sq. 2
Riga LV-1142

John M. JALLAH
National Fisheries Coordinator
National Fisheries Bureau
Ministry of Agriculture
Monrovia

Algirdas ZEMAITIS
Permanent Representative
Permanent Representation of the Republic of
Lithuania to FAO
Via al Quarto Miglio 111
00178 Rome, Italy

Kamaruzaman Haji SALIM
Head of Planning Section
Department of Fisheries Malaysia (DOFM)
43 Jalan USJ 2/4N
Taman Seafield
47600 Subang Jaya
Selangor

Khairuddin MD. TAHIR
Alternate Permanent Representative of
Malaysia to FAO
Embassy of Malaysia
Via Nomentana 297
00162 Rome, Italy

Francis MONTANARO MIFSUD
Permanent Representative
Permanent Representation of the
Republic of Malta to FAO
Lungotevere Marzio 12
00186 Rome, Italy

Mara A. MURILLO CORREA (Sra)
Directora General de Política
y Fomento Pesquero
Secretaría de Medio Ambiente,
Recursos Naturales y Pesca
Periférico sur 4209
Piso Jardines en la Montaña
México, D.F.

María Cristina HERNÁNDEZ
ZERMEÑO (Sra)
Consejera Económica
Comercio y Fomento Industrial
Misión Permanente de México ante la OMC
10A, avenue De-Budé
CH-1202 Ginebra, Suiza

Sandra Patricia PIÑA SALINAS (Srta)
Directora de Asuntos Ambientales
Multilaterales
Subsecretaría de Negociaciones Comerciales
Internacionales
Secretaría de Comercio y Fomento Industrial
Alfonso Reyes No. 30 1º Piso
Col. Hipódromo Condesa
C.P. 06140 México, D.F.

José ROBLES-AGUILAR
Representante Permanente Adjunto de
México ante la FAO
Embajada de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos
Via Lazzaro Spallanzani 16
00161 Roma, Italia

Abdelouahed IDELHAJ
Chef du Département halieutique
Institut national de recherche
halieutique (INRH)
2 Rue de Tiznit
Casablanca

Dirkjan J. VAN DER STELT
Senior Official for Trade and Markets
Department of Fisheries
Ministry of Agriculture,
Nature Management and Fisheries
73, Bezuidenhoutseweg
P.O. Box 20401
2500 EK The Hague

Jane WILLING (Ms)
Policy Manager
Ministry of Fisheries
PO Box 2025
Wellington

William EMERSON
Senior Policy Analyst
Ministry of Fisheries
PO Box 1020
Wellington

Peter FERGUSON
Alternate Permanent Representative of
New Zealand to FAO
New Zealand Embassy
Via Zara 28
00198 Rome, Italy

Alastair MACFARLANE
General Manager
Trade and Information
Seafood Industry Council
74 Cambridge Terrace
Private Bag 24-901
Wellington

Johán H. WILLIAMS
Director General
Ministry of Fisheries
P.O. Box 8118 Dep.
N-0032 Oslo

Jonette BRAATHEN (Ms)
Adviser
Ministry of Fisheries
P.O. Box 8118 Dep.
N-0037 Oslo

Elling LORENTSEN
Senior Executive Secretary
Norges Fiskarlag
Pir-Senteret
N-7005 Trondheim

Roberto BENÍTEZ FERNÁNDEZ
Representante Permanente Alterno de la
República del Paraguay ante la FAO
Embajada de la República del Paraguay
Via Salaria 237b
00198 Roma, Italia

Juan Alberto ARRUS ROKOVICH
Vice Ministro
Ministerio de Pesquería
Lima

Ana María DEÚSTUA CARAVEDO (Sra)
Representante Permanente
Representación Permanente de la República
del Perú ante la FAO
Lungo Tevere Portuense 150
00153 Roma, Italia

Paul PAREDES PORTELLA
Representante Permanente Alterno
Representación Permanente de la República
del Perú ante la FAO
Lungo Tevere Portuense 150
00153 Roma, Italia

Richard DÍAZ GONZÁLEZ
Gerente General
Sociedad Nacional de Pesquería
Av. Javier Prado Oeste 2442 San Isidro
Lima 27

María Luisa GAVINO (Ms)
Alternate Permanent Representative of the
Philippines to FAO
Embassy of the Republic of the
Philippines
Viale delle Medaglie d'Oro 112
00136 Rome, Italy

Constantin MAXIM
Conseiller au Département de la pêche
Ministère de l’agriculture et de
l’alimentation
B. dul Carol I, No. 34
Sector 3, Bucharest

George BOAPE
Chief Fisheries Officer
Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries
P.O. Box G13
Honiara

María del Carmen CADENAS de
LLANO (Sra)
Jefe de Sección
Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y
Alimentación
Ortega y Gasset 57
Madrid

Ignacio YBAÑEZ RUBIO
Subdirector General de Organismos
Multilaterales de Pesca
Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y
Alimentación
Ortega y Gasset 57
Madrid

Carlos LARRAÑAGA
Jefe de Servicio
Subdirección General de Comercialización
Pesquera
Ministerio Agricultura, Pesca y
Alimentación (MAPA)
Calle Corazón de María 8, 5° piso
28002 Madrid

Osman Mohamed SAEED
Deputy Director General
Animal Resource Research Corporation
Ministry of Animal Resources
P.O. Box 610
Khartoum

Mohamed Said Mohamed Ali HARBI
Permanent Representative of the
Republic of the Sudan to FAO
Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan
Via Lazzaro Spallanzani 24
00161 Rome

Staffan LARSSON
Head of Projects
National Board of Fisheries
P.O. Box 423
40126 Gothenburg

Raphael MAPUNDA
Deputy Director
Fisheries Head Office
Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism
P.O. Box 2462
Dar-es Salaam

Kasem PRASUTSANGCHAN
Alternate Permanent Representative of
Thailand to FAO
Office of Agricultural Affairs
Royal Thai Embassy
Via Angelo Messedaglia 6 - Int. 2
00191 Rome, Italy

‘AKAU’OLA
Secretary of Fisheries
Ministry of Fisheries
Nuku’Alofa,

Ahmet SAYLAM
Aternate Permanent Representative
Permanent Representation of
the Republic of Turkey to FAO
Via F. Denza 27 - Int. 16
00197 Rome, Italy

Paul SMITH
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Room 420B Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London SW1P 2JR

Phillip MACMULLEN
Sea Fish Industry Authority
St Andrews Dock
Hull

Prudence I. FOX (Ms)
Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant
Secretary for International Affairs
U.S. Department of Commerce
National Oceanic & Atmospheric
Administration
14^th and Constitution Ave. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20234

David F. HOGAN
Foreign Affairs Officer
Office of Marine Conservation
U.S. Department of State
2201 C St. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20520

Randi THOMAS (Ms)
Washington, D.C. Office Director
National Rep.
US Tuna Fnd.
1101-17 St. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036

Jesper HELDBO
Senior Adviser for Fisheries Affairs
Nordic Council of Ministers
Store Strandstraede 18
DK-1255 Copenhagen
Denmark

Carlos MAZAL
Director Ejecutivo
OLDEPESCA
Las Palomas 422, Urb. Limatambo
Lima 34 Apartado 10168
Lima, Perú

Yasuhisa KATO
Special Adviser
The Secretariat
SEAFDEC
Suraswadi Bldg, DOF
Kasetsart University Campus
Bangkok 10900, Thailand

Despina SYMONS (Ms)
Director
EBCD
10 rue de la Science
B-1000 Brussels
Belgium

Patrick McGUINNESS
Vice- President
Fisheries Council of Canada
38 Antares Drive
Suite 110
Nepean
Ontario K2E 7V2
Canada

Sebastian MATHEW
Executive Secretary
ICSF
27, College Road
Chennai, Madras – 600 006
India

Brian O’RIORDAN
ICSF Brussels Office
65, Rue Gretry
B-1000 Brussels
Belgium

Aldin HILBRANDS
Aquaculture and Fisheries Consultant
Agro Eco Consultancy
P.O. Box 63
6720 AB Bennekom
The Netherlands

Carl-Christian SCHMIDT
Project Manager
MSC
119 Altenburg Gardens
London SW11 1JQ
United Kingdom

John WAUGH
Senior Program Officer
IUCN Washington Office
1400 16^th St. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
United States of America

Charlotte DE FONTAUBERT (Ms)
IUCN Washington Office
1400 16^th St. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
United States of America

Carolyn DEERE (Ms)
Special Project Assistant
IUCN Washington Office
16^th St. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20009
United States of America

Michael SUTTON
Director
WWF's Endangered Seas Campaign
Branksome House
Filmer Grove
Godalming, Surrey GU7 3AB
United Kingdom

David SCHORR
Director, Sustainable Commerce Program
WWF
1250 24th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20037
United States of America

Niki SPORRONG
Marine Conservation Officer
WWF Sweden
Ulriksdals Slott
170 81 Solna
Sweden

Sidney HOLT
Fisheries Consultant
Podere il Falco
06060 Ponticelli (PG)
Italy

Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates and Observers, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have the great honour and pleasure of welcoming you, on behalf of the Director-General, Mr Jacques Diouf, to the Technical Consultation on the Feasibility of Developing Non-Discriminatory Technical Guidelines on Eco-Labelling of Products from Marine Capture Fisheries. As you know, the Consultation is intended to pursue a request of the COFI Sub-Committee on Fish Trade at its Sixth Session in June this year, to investigate the feasibility and practicability of developing non-discriminatory, globally applicable technical guidelines for the eco-labelling of fish and fish products from marine capture fisheries. The results of this Consultation will be presented to COFI in February 1999, when it discusses the report of its Sub-Committee on Fish Trade.

As many of you recall, COFI at its Twenty-second Session in March 1997 discussed a proposal that FAO should prepare for an informal discussion on issues related to eco-labelling of fishery products; at that time, the Committee did not reach a consensus on the proposed meeting. At the Sixth Session of the Sub-Committee on Fish Trade, however, it was unanimously decided that FAO convene a consultation on this issue and report its outcome to COFI.

I would like to express at this stage our gratitude to the Nordic Council of Ministers for the generous financial support, without which this process would not have been possible. Unfortunately, the time constraint created by the need for adequate preparation of the event and the need to have the results distributed shortly so that they can be fed into the preparatory process for COFI’s Twenty-third Session, has been extremely difficult to master. In particular, the short time available for the Secretariat to prepare the meeting documents has inevitably made it impossible to distribute them well in advance of the Consultation.

As you are all aware, the Consultation has been convened as a response to the concern of FAO Members with regard to currently evolving schemes of certification of sustainable marine fisheries and eco-labelling of products originating from them. Therefore, the proposed agenda foresees first a discussion whether certification of marine capture fisheries and eco-labelling their products is feasible and practicable. In this context, relevant provisions of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries will need to be considered as well as the provisions of other international instruments such as Agenda 21 of UNCED.

Should your deliberations on this issue reach a positive conclusion, that the development of technical guidelines is feasible and practicable, you are then expected to provide advice on the desirable contents and format of comprehensive technical guidelines, which presumably would have to cover all relevant aspects from resources to consumer demand. In addition your advice is requested with regard to a suitable procedure for drafting such guidelines. This should include also a consideration of the ways and means duly to respect the interest of developing countries, including their possible needs for technical and financial cooperation.

I trust that with the results of this Technical Consultation at hand, COFI will be in a position to take an informed decision at its next Session in February 1999.

Ladies and gentlemen, I wish to inform you that the Director-General is taking a close personal interest in the subject of this Technical Consultation. This is why, in his letter being dispatched today to all FAO Members, he has proposed to Ministers for Fisheries to discuss the question of eco-labelling as one of the agenda items of the Ministerial Meeting on Fisheries in March next year. I should like to conclude by conveying the best wishes of the Director-General and myself for fruitful deliberations on this important subject.

Thank you very much.