Declaration Of The Second Multilateral High-Level Conference On The Conservation And Management Of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks In The Western And Central Pacific
Source: Unofficial Text
The States, territories and fishing entities represented by Ministers and senior officials at the Second Multilateral High-Level Conference on the Conservation and Management of the Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific meeting at Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands, from 10-13 June 1997,
Recalling the relevant provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ("the Convention") and the Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 Relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 4 August 1995 ("the Implementing Agreement"),
Recalling also that the Multilateral High-Level Conference on South Pacific Tuna Fisheries, held at Honiara, Solomon Islands, from 5- 9 December 1994, reached a common understanding on the need for sustainable development of the tuna resources of the region, the importance of fishing responsibly in the region, the importance of effective enforcement in the conservation and management of tuna stocks and the need for effective cooperation between coastal States and territories and distant water fishing nations,
Recalling further that South Pacific Forum Leaders at the 26th South Pacific Forum held at Madang, Papua New Guinea in 1995 considered that comprehensive regional fisheries management arrangements and a structure consistent with the outcomes of the United Nations Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks should be developed as a matter of urgency and should be based on a precautionary approach to ensure the sustainable exploitation of the region's tuna resources,
Recalling also that South Pacific Forum Leaders at the 27th South Pacific Forum held at Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands, from 3- 5 September 1996 called upon the Forum Fisheries Committee to continue with urgency its development of comprehensive arrangements for the sustainable management of the region's fisheries across the full geographical range of the stocks, including the high seas, and endorsed the initiative of the Republic of the Marshall Islands to convene a ministerial meeting to help advance this process,
Bearing in mind the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development of 1992, in particular Agenda 21, and the importance placed by the international community on sustainable utilisation of living marine resources,
Determined to ensure the effective conservation and management and sustainable use of highly migratory fish stocks of the western and central Pacific throughout the range of their distribution,
Conscious of the need to avoid adverse impacts on the marine environment of the region, preserve its biodiversity, maintain the integrity of the marine ecosystem and minimize the risk of long term or irreversible effects of fishing operations,
Mindful of the importance of the highly migratory fish stocks of the western and central Pacific to the sustainable development and prosperity of developing States and territories in the region,
Recognizing the sovereign rights of coastal States to explore and exploit, and their duty to conserve and manage the living marine resources within their exclusive economic or fisheries zones and the right of States for their nationals to fish on the high seas in accordance with international law and their duty to take, or to cooperate with other States in taking, such measures as may be necessary for the conservation of the living resources of the high seas,
Recognizing further the need for special assistance for Pacific island developing States and territories to enable them to participate effectively in the conservation, management and sustainable use of the highly migratory fish stocks of the region,
Convinced of the urgent need to improve knowledge about the stocks and fisheries of the region and to develop a framework for the elaboration and implementation of conservation and management measures in the region,
1. Declare their commitment to establish a mechanism for the conservation and management of highly migratory fish stocks of the region in accordance with the Convention and the Implementing Agreement;
2. Decide to cooperate effectively in the conservation and management of highly migratory fish stocks of the region throughout their range in order to ensure their long-term sustainability, in accordance with the principles contained in the Convention and the Implementing Agreement, including through application of the precautionary approach widely;
3. Decide to ensure that the fishing activities in the region are conducted in a manner fully consistent with the respective rights, obligations and responsibilities of coastal States and territories and other States and fishing entities fishing on the high seas in the region under the Convention and the Implementing Agreement;
4. Declare their commitment to ensuring that conservation and management measures for highly migratory fish stocks in areas under national jurisdiction and those for the high seas are compatible;
5. Declare their commitment to collect and share, in a timely manner, complete and accurate data concerning fisheries activities in accordance with annex 1 of the Implementing Agreement, as well as information from relevant research programmes;
6. Declare their commitment to cooperate in monitoring, control and surveillance of fishing activities in the region in pursuance of the objectives set out in paragraph 2;
7. Declare their commitment to provide financial, scientific and technical assistance to Pacific island developing States and territories to enhance their ability to conserve, manage and sustainably use the highly migratory fish stocks of the region;
8. Decide to set an overall time-frame of three years from June 1997 in which to negotiate and establish the mechanism referred to in paragraph 1;
9. Decide to hold further sessions of the Conference in 1998 and 1999 to address, inter alia, the following matters:
(a) species and stocks to be covered by the arrangement;
(b) geographical area to be covered;
(c) membership and participation by observers;
(d) mechanisms for decision making and procedures for the settlement
of disputes;
(e) mechanisms for the collection and exchange of fisheries data,
scientific research and stock assessment;
(f) determination of conservation and management measures, including the
application of the precautionary approach;
(g) relationship with other regional and global fisheries organisations
and arrangements;
(h) procedures for monitoring, control, surveillance and enforcement; and
(i) financial and administrative arrangements;
(g) relationship with other regional and global fisheries organisations
and arrangements;
10. Decide also to hold consultations on certain technical matters during the intersessional period;
11. Request the Chairman of the Conference to transmit this Declaration to the Chairman of the South Pacific Forum;
12. Further request the Government of the Marshall Islands, as host of the Conference and Chairman of the South Pacific Forum, to bring this Declaration to the attention of the 19th Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly to be convened in New York in June 1997 to review the implementation of Agenda 21;
13. Express their appreciation to the Government of the Marshall Islands for hosting the Conference.
Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands
13 June 1997
