The President of the Republic wants illegal, undeclared and unregulated fishing to be classified as a transnational crime and to be severely punished. Filipe Nyusi also defends joint work between SADC countries to eradicate the practice. “Our country is for regional and international consultation so that illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing is classified as a transnational crime, severely punished, given its seriously harmful effects”, he said. According to Nyusi, the Southern Region approved, in July 2008, the Declaration of Commitment to Combat Illegal Fishing, with the aim of improving regional and inter-regional cooperation, with a view to ending with practices considered harmful, and Mozambique was one of the first countries to work to eradicate crimes committed at sea, despite the lack of human and material resources. The President of the Republic was speaking during the laying of the first stone for the construction of the Regional Coordination Center Monitoring, Control and Inspection Center (MCSCC) of SADC, an infrastructure to be built in the Katembe municipal district, in the City of Maputo.” The center’s mandate is to coordinate efforts and measures aimed at improving fisheries inspection, in order to eradicate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. The vision and conception is to make this center a modern infrastructure with technology capable of allowing the substantial improvement of the maritime surveillance and inspection system at the region level”, he explained. The construction of the infrastructure, according to the chief of State, is the result of the effort and commitment of the SADC countries who understood the need to do so, because this type of crime cannot be combatted with isolated measures. The center was officially created in 2023. Construction is estimated at more than 113 million dollars, financed by the World Bank, and should be completed in 15 months.” Its implementation required that the letter of commitment and accession should be signed by each Member State. It was a very long and slow process, but, thanks to our persistent diplomacy, consultation and determination, 12 of the 16 SADC countries have already signed the letter expected for more than 20 years”, he said. Nyusi assured that the country will of everything so that the works are of quality and completed within the stipulated deadline. Ambassadors and high commissioners from SADC countries participated in the laying of the first stone of the MCSCC. Source: O País
Tradução automática do artigo:Aceder ao artigo original