Cabo Verde’s 2nd FiTI Report presented to stakeholders at CPLP Headquarters
The Cabo Verde Embassy in Lisbon, in partnership with the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI), the Irish Embassy in Lisbon and the Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa (CPLP), recently held a seminar at CPLP Headquarters to promote the publication of Cabo Verde’s 2nd FiTI Report. The report, published at the end of 2024, attests to the progress made in implementing the FiTI Standard in fisheries management in the country through multi-stakeholder collaboration.
The new report outlines 17 key recommendations essential for strengthening the sustainability of national fisheries. In addition to its recommendations, the report identifies several areas for improvement, including the assessment of fish stocks. It calls for stock assessments to support the timely publication of catch data and advocates for the disclosure of fisheries access agreements and contracts with third countries and international entities. Another critical area is financial transparency, with recommendations for publishing details on direct financial transfers and subsidies to fishing operators.
The opening session was attended by the Executive Secretary of the CPLP, Dr. Zacarias da Costa, the Minister of the Sea of Cape Verde, Eng. Jorge Santos, via videoconference, the Secretary of State for Fisheries of Portugal, Mrs. Cláudia Monteiro Aguiar and the Ambassador of Ireland, Snhora Alma NiChoigligh.
The meeting also brought together other ambassadors, diplomats, representatives of international organizations such as the European Union, representatives of the private sector, civil society organizations, and members of academy. Together, they debated the importance of transparency and good governance in the fisheries sector and its relevance to the implementation of the United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development, specifically Sustainable Development Goals 14 and 17.
Cape Verde’s Minister of the Sea, Jorge Santos, spoke at the event’s opening ceremony, stating:
“Transparency and Good Governance’ are important assets, not only for our position in the world but also because political and social stability depends a lot on how we involve all citizens in the policy options we adopt and the priorities we set. That’s why, since 2015, the government of Cape Verde has joined the Open Government Partnership, and the country is gradually aligning its entire legal and regulatory framework with the principle of accountability.
It is in this vein that Cape Verde made a public commitment to join the FiTI in 2019, with the Council of Ministers appointing the Minister responsible for the fisheries sector to lead the implementation of the FiTI Standard in the management of our fisheries system and creating its local governance structure, in partnership with the public, social and private sectors.
In November 2022, the country set up a Multisectoral Group made up of 17 members, permanently supported by a National Secretariat, making it possible to draw up the country’s first Fisheries Transparency Report and publish it at the end of December 2023.
We voluntarily joined the FiTI because the 12 Standards that make it up are aligned with the principles and values assumed by the Government of Cape Verde and because we realised that its implementation could help the country and continuously improve our system for organising, managing and publishing fisheries data.”
Cabo Verde’s second FiTI Report reflects the country’s commitment to improving governance and accountability in the fisheries sector. The full report for Cabo Verde can be found here.
