This page contains the external meetings attended by SPRFMO staff and officials on behalf of the organisation in 2021.
- Institute for Strategic Leadership (ISL): The Executive Secretary (Mr Craig Loveridge) attended an ISL Leadership Step-up programme from 21 to 26 November 2021. The ISL Step-Up Programme focuses on developing an understanding of leadership and provide insights to unlock leadership potential. It is designed to make participants more effective leaders in their current roles and provide insights to unlock their leadership potential. This is the same programme used by other RFMOs when developing their senior leaders. The 2021 programme brought together a wide range of people from across New Zealand and provided a valuable period where the Executive Secretary was able to focus on his innate leadership qualities, develop confidence from spending time with others in similar roles (with different but relatable challenges). He was also able to practice ways to develop a positive team culture, apply evidence based views on team effectiveness and presented a case study to a panel of experienced executives to develop his skills to influence strategy and plan for effective implementation.
- Virtual Intersessional Workshop for the Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI) Global Dialogue with Regional Seas Organizations and Regional Fishery Bodies: The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with support from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea convened this intersessional workshop from 29 September to 1 October 2021.The Executive Secretary, Mr Craig Loveridge, participated in the workshop and collaborate to advance regional ocean governance to achieve regional and global goals for fisheries, environment, biodiversity and sustainable development. A report of the meeting was circulated to SPRFMO Members and CNCPs through letter G08-2022 and the workshop report is available here.
- Pan-Pacific Fisheries Compliance Network (PPFCN): The PPFCN is an informal group of RFMO Compliance Officers supported by the International Monitoring, Control, Surveillance (IMCS) Network that was formed late in 2020. The Operational Framework (updated October 2021) providing guidance for the group has been finalized and accepted by members. This group will continue with various virtual meetings throughout 2021 to foster better networking between RFMO colleagues in the Pacific region. The Compliance Manager will be the principal participant for SPRFMO and he will also serve as the first Chairperson of the PPFCN. Meeting dates for 2021 include: March 02, April 13, May 18, September 02 and November 11.
- ITIL 4 Foundation Training: Mr John Cheva (Information Manager) attended a 3-day training course on the Information Technology Infrastructure Library framework. ITIL is a set of best practices that focuses on the alignment of IT services with the needs of a business. It provides a practical framework for identifying, planning, and delivering supporting IT services to the core business functions of an organisation. The training assisted in the Secretariats IT services by getting a clearer view of IT costs and assets, Increased ability to manage business risk and service disruption or failure, identification of redundant work and improved resource utilization, along with the confidence of using proven best practices.
- PEW-ISSF Joint Virtual Workshops on Best Practices in Compliance in RFMOs: Following up on the initial September 2020 workshop, there were 2 additional workshops (and preparatory sessions) in 2021 in which the SPRFMO Compliance Manager and the CTC Chairperson participated in the Pacific Regional Group Sessions. The first 2021 workshop, held 16-19 March 2021, was entitled "The role of Transparency in Improving RFMO Compliance". The second 2021 workshop, "Best Practices for Compliance in RFMOs" was held 3-4 November 2021. (The initial link is to the Preliminary Outcomes PowerPoint). The full workshop report was released in July 2022 followed by a short virtual briefing to PPFNC/TCN members on the key outcomes on 20 July 2022.
- IMCS Network - GFETW: The GFETW is an international conference designed specifically for global MCS practitioners. The GFETW offers a forum for the exchange of information, sharing of experiences on the challenges facing compliance officers, and exposure to new and emerging MCS tactics and techniques and fisheries law enforcement “best practices.” In light of the pandemic, the planned workshop for 2021 became the 1st virtual GFETW and was held July 13-14, 2021. The CTC Chairperson and the Compliance Manger participated (as well as representatives from Members). The GFETW Final Meeting Report, published on the FAO website, is linked for reference.
- The Third Meeting of the Parties to the 2009 FAO Agreement on Port States Measures: The Parties of the PSMA meet biennially to discuss matters relevant to the implementation of the Agreement. The 3rd meeting (a review) was hosted virtually by the European Union from 31 May – 4 June 2021 from Brussels, Belgium. The SPRFMO Secretariat provided input into this review by providing information related to progress made in the implementation of the PSMA and the Compliance Manager attended the virtual meeting. The resulting report on challenges and progress in implementation of the PSMA by regional fishery bodies confirmed that SPRFMO was one of four RFMOS to have reflected 100% of the 19 PSMA requirements into our CMMs.
- North Pacific Fisheries Commission Annual Meeting: Virtual (18-25 February 2021) - SPRFMO participated in the virtual NPFC annual meeting as an Observer with attendance split amongst 3 staff members depending on the subject matter. The Compliance Manager observed during the discussions of the Technical and Compliance Committee, the Coordination and Communications Officer observed during the Commission Meeting and the Finance and Office Manager observed during the Finance and Administration Committee sessions. The official meeting reports are available on the NPFC website - TCC5 Final Report and COM06 Final Report.
For information about the external meetings attended by staff and officials in previous years, please check the list below: