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The GFCM takes the stage

The United Nations Ocean Conference, because of its objectives, high-level attendance, the topics it tackles and the attention it gathers, is an important process for the GFCM, which was already represented in the first two editions (in 2017 in New York and in 2022 in Lisbon).
This Conference's political weight and its significant potential for the GFCM – thanks to the opportunities it offers and its strategic Mediterranean location – has led the forty-seventh session of the GFCM to identify it as a key event for the year.
In line with GFCM priorities, and taking into account the key role of aquatic systems in addressing food security and supporting livelihoods, the GFCM will play an active role in the Conference:

• In preparation for the Conference, inputs were provided to the drafting of six concept papers for the Ocean Action Panels.
• Select GFCM countries will chair Ocean Action Panels and take part in the plenary sessions, while other countries and GFCM partners will hold side events on key topics. The GFCM will intervene in some of them to showcase regional best practices.
• The GFCM submitted a Voluntary Ocean Commitment for a value of USD 50 million under the title “Towards healthy seas, productive fisheries and aquaculture and sustainable livelihoods in the Mediterranean and Black Sea through a level playing field and cooperation within the GFCM”. This commitment underpins the efforts made by the GFCM Members and donors, in particular the European Union, to effectively implement the GFCM 2030 Strategy.
  Read the GFCM Voluntary Ocean Commitment
• A GFCM ministerial side event “Accelerating sustainability: transforming Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries and aquaculture” will showcase the GFCM’s model cooperation in the context of sustainable blue foods. It will take place on Friday 13 June at 10.30–11.45 in the Blue Zone (Room 4).
  Find all the information about the GFCM side event
• A GFCM technical side event “From science to solutions: advancing bycatch mitigation in the Mediterranean” will showcase how scientific cooperation and regional collaboration have enhanced the understanding of bycatch affecting vulnerable species in Mediterranean fisheries and supported its mitigation. It will take place on Monday 9 June at 16.30–18.15 in the Green Zone, La Baleine (The Ocean that feeds us Pavilion)
  Find all the information about the GFCM side event
• The themes of the Ocean Action Panels are strongly connected to the work of the GFCM. They include:
  Sustainable fisheries Ocean Action Panel 5

  Sustainable food production Ocean Action Panel 9

  Cooperation and capacity building Ocean Action Panels 2 and 8

  Pollution and climate change Ocean Action Panels 4 and 7

  Conservation and sustainable use of marine ecosystems Ocean Action Panels 1 and 10

  Finance for ocean action Ocean Action Panel 3

  Other economic activities Ocean Action Panel 6
• The 2025 UN Ocean Conference will also see the announcement of progress on international agreements, including the entry into force of the BBNJ Agreement and advances made towards the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Targets (including Target 3, also known as the “30 by 30 target”).