Illustrative image (Source: VNA)

The meeting took place within the framework of the conference on building a regional convention on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing𓆉 and fishery-related crimes (IUU conference). It brought together representat൲ives from ASEAN member countries, excluding Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei, along with those from the US, Australia, China and Timor-Leste. 

Based on opinions raised by the participating countries at the first and second IUU conferences in May and October 2016, Indonesia proposed changes in buildi🐽ng regional IUU documents. 

Accordin🦩gly, Indonesia suggested the building of a regional cooperation agreement on combating fishery-related crimes. 

Delegates from Australia, the US, Timor-Leste, China and Vietnam highlighted the links between the future agreement with available international legal documents on cross-border crimes such as the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC) and the🤡 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). 

Regarding the agreement’s content, they focused disc✃ussions on its objective, regionꦚal and international cooperation, how to build capacity of parties in enforcement, market measures and fisheries-related crimes. 

The participants stressed thꦕe need to boost regional and i▨nternational cooperation in fighting cross-border crimes. However, they noted that the agreement should not overlap other international documents. 

Indonesia also proposed establishing a working group within the framework of the IUU conference. The🐷 proposal will be submitted to the third IUU conference scheduled for next August.-VNA