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NGO ACTIVITIES

NGOs have been examining the Chair's negotiating text and preparing amendments for alternative language as well as slight modifications in the structure of the document. They are likely to develop individual positions on these issues and then attempt to come up with some form of common position paper to be presented to the next session.

At the last session of the Conference, a group of 100 like-minded NGOs, led by Greenpeace, presented a statement to the delegates. This statement, "A Call for Global Fisheries Reform," has formed the basis for NGO lobbying efforts. It calls for reforms in three fundamental areas:

To ensure conservation and an ecologically sound approach to fishing on the high seas, and adoption of comparable measures in zones of national jurisdiction;

To protect and preserve marine and coastal habitats and other ecologically sensitive areas; and

To support and strengthen artisanal, indigenous, women, traditional and small-scale fishworkers, and coastal communities that rely substantially on fishing for food and livelihoods, and ensure their effective representation in national, regional and global fora.