Sustainable fisheries, including through the 1995 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, and related instruments
A/RES/70/75
national measures applicable to vessels flying their flag to prevent such
trans-shipment;
80. Urges States, individually and through regional fisheries management
organizations and arrangements, to adopt and implement internationally agreed
market-related measures in accordance with international law, including principles,
rights and obligations established in World Trade Organization agreements, as called
for in the International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal,
Unreported and Unregulated Fishing;
81. Welcomes the ongoing work of the Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations on the development of best-practice guidelines for catch
documentation schemes and traceability, in accordance with its agreed terms of
reference and framework principles;
82. Calls upon States to continue working within the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations on the elaboration, in accordance with
international law, including the agreements established under the World Trade
Organization, of guidelines and other relevant criteria relating to catch
documentation schemes, including possible formats;
83. Notes with satisfaction, in this regard, that the Committee on Fisheries, at
its thirty-first session, recognized that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations would undertake to elaborate guidelines and other relevant criteria
relating to catch documentation schemes, including possible formats, based on the
following principles: conformity with the provisions of international law; not
creating unnecessary barriers to trade; equivalence; risk-based; reliable; simple,
clear and transparent; and electronic if possible, with the aim of adoption at the
thirty-second session of the Committee, and that the assessment of schemes and
formats would include cost-benefit considerations and take into account catch
documentation schemes already implemented by certain of its members as well as
regional fisheries management organizations and arrangements; 14
84. Encourages information-sharing regarding emerging market- and traderelated measures by States and other relevant actors with appropriate international
forums, given the potential implications of these measures for all States, consistent
with the established plan of work of the Committee on Fisheries, and taking int o
account the Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fish Trade of the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations;
85. Acknowledges the development of participatory surveillance activities at
sea involving fishing communities in West Africa as a cost-effective way of
detecting illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing;
86. Notes the concern expressed by the Committee on Fisheries at the
proliferation of private standards and ecolabelling schemes potentially leading to the
creation of trade barriers and restrictions, and also notes the work by the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to develop an evaluation framework
to assess the conformity of public and private ecolabelling schemes through the
Guidelines for the Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture
Fisheries;
_______________
14
See Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, document C 2015/23.
17/35