The UNFSA Toolkit
UNFSA in short
The United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA) is an international agreement that regulates key fisheries that, because they occur both in areas within national jurisdiction and on the high seas, require international cooperation for their effective management. Therefore, its objective is to ensure the longterm conservation and sustainable use of straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks through effective implementation of the relevant provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Why this toolkit?
With a broad and fast-growing number of information and resources relevant to the implementation of UNFSA, individuals and organizations can find it difficult to locate and access relevant instruments, information and guidance in an effective and practical manner. Fisheries management and decision making at international, regional, and national levels, can benefit from having a one-stop shop that gathers and organizes the main legal resources that support in the implementation of the Agreement. This toolkit provides a compilation of resources available for fisheries managers, policy makers, and the general public (including links to relevant websites).
UNFSA: The text
The text of UNFSA was agreed upon in 1995 with the adoption of the Agreement by the United Nations Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks. The text has 13 parts and 2 annexes.
In accordance with its article 37, the Agreement was open for signature at United Nations Headquarters, from 4 December 1995 until and including 4 December 1996. There are currently 92 are Parties to UNFSA.
Text of the Agreement:
Useful resources:
Procedural History
Pursuant to resolution 47/192 of the General Assembly, the United Nations Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks was convened in 1993. It completed its work in 1995 with the adoption of UNFSA. The Agreement entered into force on 21 December 2001.
In 2006, in accordance with Article 36 of the Agreement, a Review Conference was convened to assess the effectiveness of the Agreement in securing the conservation and management of straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks by reviewing and assessing the adequacy of its provisions and proposing means of strengthening them. The Conference was subsequently resumed in 2010, 2016 and 2023.
Sixteen rounds of the Informal Consultations of States Parties to the Agreement have been held since 2002.
UNFSA Bodies and Processes
The UNFSA Review Conference convened in 2006 addressed ways to give full effect to the Agreement, both through a substantive review and assessment and by agreeing on recommendations for strengthening the implementation of the Agreement. Since 2010 and within its resumed sessions in 2010, 2016 and 2023, the Review Conference has conducted further reviews of the implementation of the recommendations adopted at the Review Conference in 2006 and adopted additional recommendations.
The Informal Consultations of States Parties to the Agreement (ICSP) have been held since 2002, providing States with a forum to discuss issues relating to the implementation of the Agreement and to take preparatory steps for the Review Conference its resumption.
Reports and outcomes from the ICSP and Review Conference, as well as key resolutions from the UN General Assembly are available below and on the website of the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea.
Part VII Fund
General Assembly Resolution 58/14 established an 鈥淎ssistance Fund under Part VII of the Agreement鈥� to assist developing States in implementing the Agreement. Assistance may be provided to a developing State Party to UNCLOS and to the 1995 Fish Stocks Agreement or a regional or sub-regional organization applying on behalf of such developing State for various purposes. Assistance may be provided to a developing State Party to UNCLOS and to the 1995 Fish Stocks Agreement or a regional or sub-regional organization applying on behalf of such developing State.
For further details, visit the UNFSA Assistance Fund website.
National Implementation
At national level, full and effective implementation of UNFSA can help States strengthen legislation and policies and achieve national and international goals. Implementation of UNFSA can help promote sustainability of fisheries, which represent an engine for sustainable blue growth and a vital source of nutrition and livelihoods. Implementing UNFSA provisions can also aid in achieving the SDGs and other international commitments.
The Project of Assistance to Strengthen Participation in and Implementation of the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement has developed a series of learning materials that support national implementation of UNFSA. There materials include three policy briefs directed to general public, policy makers, and fisheries managers, as well as the UNFSA Implementation Guide.
To learn more, visit the Project website.
Related Legal Instruments
UNFSA is an implementing agreement to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (the 鈥淐onvention鈥�), which sets out the overarching legal regime for the conservation and management of marine living resources within areas under national jurisdiction and on the high seas. The Convention is considered the overarching legal regime for sustainable fisheries under international law and sets the bases for the more detailed provisions presented in UNFSA for straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks. At the same time, UNFSA is complemented by other international rules including those developed under organizations such as FAO and WTO, among others.
Other Fisheries Related Resources
Updated data, information, and statistics around fisheries, are key to decision-making and governance of straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks. Organizations such as FAO provide highly relevant periodical information with reviews of the state of fisheries around the world, and outcomes of international meetings that also provide key recommendations.
RFMO/As with a mandate to manage straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks
The regional fisheries management organizations or arrangements are multilateral frameworks for the management of fishing activities on the high seas at the regional level. Countries with fishing interests over specific stocks in a given geographical area should cooperate individually and through RFMO/As. They are open both to countries in the region (鈥榗oastal States鈥�) and countries that have interests in those fisheries despite being located elsewhere (鈥榙istant water fishing nations鈥�).
Project of Assistance to Strengthen Participation in and Implementation of UNFSA
The Project of assistance to strengthen participation in and implementation of the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA) aims to contribute to improving the conservation and management of straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks by increasing awareness of UNFSA and its provisions, increasing participation by developing States Parties in this important legal instrument and strengthening the full and effective implementation of UNFSA by all States Parties to it.
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