State Secretary for Marine Fisheries, Zakia Driouich, and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Morocco, Ilaria Carnevali, signed the documents for the project “Integration of Sustainable Marine Fisheries Value Chains into a Blue Economy for the Large Marine Ecosystems of the Canary Current and Central American Pacific Coast” (GMC2 – Global Marine Commodities 2) on Tuesday in Rabat, marking the official launch of the project’s implementation in Morocco.
This international initiative aims to promote the integration of sustainable fisheries value chains into the development of the blue economy. Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the UNDP, the GMC2 project benefits from the technical expertise of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP), an organization specialized in promoting sustainable fishing practices and transforming the supply chains for seafood products.
Aligned with an international movement to enhance the sustainability of fisheries and promote responsible exploitation of fishery resources, the project specifically aims to incorporate environmental sustainability and social responsibility requirements within seafood supply chains while fostering better governance of fisheries and increasing the value of products derived from sustainable practices.
GMC2 is being deployed in six countries: Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Panama. In the Canary Current area, it aims to strengthen cooperation and efforts for the sustainable management of shared fishery resources.
In a statement to the press, Ms. Carnevali emphasized that this initiative places special focus on preserving fishery resources, particularly small pelagics such as sardines, which are essential pillars for the Kingdom’s economy, food security, and exports.
The project also plans to enhance national capacities to ensure the sustainable and continuous exploitation of these resources, illustrating the Kingdom’s commitment to sharing knowledge and solutions for sustainable development at the national, regional, and international levels.
In Morocco, project activities will focus on small pelagic fisheries, especially sardines and anchovies, which are strategic pillars of the national fishery economy.
The planned actions aim to strengthen the sustainability of these fisheries, promote the consumption of products from responsible supply chains, improve the availability and transparency of scientific and technical information regarding resource status, and support regional cooperation in research and management of shared stocks.
Lasting five years, this project also plans to engage stakeholders in the value chain, including economic operators and buyers, to increase market demand for seafood products from sustainable and responsible fisheries.
It will also receive funding from the GEF, supplemented by in-kind contributions from the Ministry of Marine Fisheries and activities conducted at the regional and international levels.
Through this initiative, Morocco reaffirms its commitment to the sustainable management of marine resources and the promotion of an inclusive blue economy that reconciles the preservation of marine ecosystems, economic development, and the improvement of living conditions for fishing communities.
MAP