International Fisheries Access Agreements

This publication is part of UNCTAD's ongoing work on sustainably harnessing the potential of fisheries and aquaculture for socioeconomic development in countries with rich marine and freshwater resources. Complementing the findings and conclusions of earlier studies, this publication analyses distant-water fishing and provides a comparative analysis of IFAAs and related research with a view to identifying gaps and challenges, and synthetizing experiences, success stories and best practices. It argues that, despite substantive improvement in many countries, several developing regions still lack the capacity and resources to manage their EEZ fisheries properly and assess the appropriate basis on which to negotiate sound, fair and unharmful IFAAs. Therefore, coastal States should be well prepared and trained to deal with the challenge of negotiating IFAAs with beneficial and sustainable access conditions, managing their fisheries resources, and monitoring and enforcing compliance with the rules and conditions of IFAAs. The report provides a series of recommendations on why, when and how best to use IFAAs to secure income, improve global fisheries sustainability, and support value addition and exports, with a focus on the livelihoods of coastal fishing communities and their access to resources, services and markets. In doing so, the report draws lessons for small island developing States (SIDS) and LDCs, where UNCTAD is implementing fisheries development projects. These insights can help to guide the formulation and implementation of targeted policies relevant for negotiating and enforcing IFAAs.