Project of Assistance to Strengthen Participation in and Implementation of the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA)

UNFSA is a 1995 implementing agreement to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that sets out the legal regime for the conservation and management of straddling and highly migratory fish stocks, with a view to ensuring their long-term conservation and sustainable use (more here). States Parties to UNFSA, individually and through regional fisheries management organizations and arrangements (RFMO/As), have to undertake various actions to strengthen the governance of fisheries, so as to improve the status and long-term sustainability of the covered fish stocks. Improved implementation of UNFSA would thus contribute to meeting the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, most notably targets 14.4 and 14c. 

However, participation in UNFSA, as well as its full and effective implementation, have been limited by a lack of awareness of the provisions of UNFSA and a lack of capacity to implement them, particularly in developing States.