Fisheries Training Programme under the auspices of UNESCO (FTP), supported by its main sponsor, the Government of Iceland pledges to continue to provide scientific and technological knowledge in its search for sustainability in the use of fisheries and aquaculture. Essential areas of emphasis in making sustainable fisheries possible are research and education in policy making, fisheries sector development, stock assessment, fish handling and processing, and aquaculture which is a key growth area. It is crucial to focus considerable effort in developing countries in all these areas.

Achieving SDG 14, on the oceans and its resources, is important to several other SDGs. The Fisheries Training Programme is working towards more intersectoral projects, thereby making contributions to reducing hunger and poverty, providing a good education for men and women, reducing inequality, ensuring safe resilient lives and lifestyles for both men and women. These are all important actions that have been undertaken by past fellows of our six months post-graduate training in Iceland, as they have returned to their positions across 50 countries over the last 20 years. Evaluation activities have highlighted critical areas of development and the improvements in the next fifteen years will come from close cooperation between specialists in Iceland and elsewhere. Partnerships have been developed in research and training and both Iceland and partner countries commit themselves to the sustainability of one of the most precious resources, fisheries, available to society. Furthering the expertise and knowledge of fisheries specialists in a broad and diverse global network will put sustainable fisheries within reach in both developing and developed countries.

This voluntary commitment builds upon the established partnership between FTP and the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism and our continuing focus on partnership in other SIDS countries. This commitment aims to address targets 14.4 and 14.7 under SDG 14. FTP commits to creating targeted training activities for fisheries scientists, managers, and policymakers in the developing countries. Through an institutional capacity building approach, FTP will collaborate with partners to identify priority areas related to fisheries management and will create tailor-made regional short courses to address these needs in cooperation with local partners and institutions. FTP will also provide rigorous, post-graduate level training on relevant topics to selected fisheries professionals from SIDS countries in areas which may include fisheries stock assessment, fish handling and processing, fisheries policy and industry management, or aquaculture. Specific topics of research and training will be identified through dialogue with partners and will take into consideration their priorities and aim to establish synergies with other development activities.