Transparent mechanism to combat IUU fishing

On the afternoon of June 2 in Hanoi, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Vo Van Hung, Deputy Head of the National Steering Committee and Head of the Inter-agency Working Group, chaired the first meeting of the Inter-agency Working Group on combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The meeting was attended by representatives of relevant ministries and branches to drastically and synchronously implement urgent tasks. At the meeting, delegates discussed and highly agreed on three key contents:

First, passing decisions to consolidate the Inter-agency Working Group. Based on the Decisions of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Inter-agency Working Group is consolidated with the participation of specialized units from various ministries and branches. This aims to establish a synchronous operating system and best prepare conditions and transparent records to work with the European Commission (EC) Inspection Delegation in the near future.

Second, unifying operating regulations. The working group determined that the operating principles must ensure the criteria of "clear people, clear work, clear tasks" and align with the functions and authority of each agency and unit. Simultaneously, it will establish a flexible and timely information-sharing mechanism, ensuring continuity in advising and handling situations. The core goal is to create a transparent, valid and highly effective interdisciplinary coordination mechanism.

Third, the inter-agency group's work plan. Members agreed on the plan to advise on implementing periodic reports for the National Steering Committee on IUU. The plan to inspect anti-IUU work in 22 coastal localities is designed to ensure flexibility and focus on the right key points. The composition of the inspection teams is streamlined, effective, and suitable for each professional topic.

Delivering the concluding remarks and assigning tasks, Deputy Minister Vo Van Hung particularly emphasized the importance of applying information technology in direction and administration. The Deputy Minister requested the Standing Body of the Working Group - the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance - to urgently put the periodic reporting database software for anti-IUU fishing results online.

This software system must meet the requirements of interoperable data from ministries, branches, and localities; it must have the ability to automatically evaluate, score and extract reports accurately and transparently.