NAca Section 2.pmd - Maryland Department of Natural Resources

oped, among others, “to provide a mechanism to facilitate trade in live aquatic species and avoid unjustifiable
trade barriers based on aquatic animal health issues”. The Beijing Consensus and Implementation
Strategy indicated that because import risk analysis (IRA) is a new concept for many countries in the
region, there is a need to build awareness among policy-makers and administrators, and the capacity to
understand and implement risk analysis at national and regional levels. It strongly recommended effective
partnership with APEC and other concerned regional and subregional bodies and organizations in assisting
countries to effectively implement the Technical Guidelines.
The APEC project became an opportunity to assist economies in the implementation of the Technical
Guidelines and to directly supported global and regional efforts on aquatic animal health management,
such as:
• FAO’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF),
• WTO’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement,
• the Asia Regional Aquatic Animal Health Management Programme of NACA and its partners,
• the FAO/NACA/OIE Asia-Pacific Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Reporting System,
• the World Bank (WB)/World Wildlife Fund(WWF)/FAO/NACA Consortium on Shimp and Environment,
and
• the Regional Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) of FAO in the Americas “Assistance to
Health Management in Shrimp Aquaculture in Americas, with Special Reference to Improving
Post-larval Quality”.
APEC’s value stems from its important role in providing opportunities for assisting, building and improving
countries’ capacity to implement, monitor and evaluate the agreements reached at regional and international
levels, particularly through assistance to APEC economies with very little resources or capability.
APEC also plays a significant role in building subregional, regional and international cooperation
through joint strategies/approaches, stressing complementarities and enhancing consultation and information
exchange in order to effectively respond to the growing needs for aquatic animal health strategies in
support of responsible aquaculture, trade and health management practices for better productivity, increased
and stable contribution to food security, promotion of sustainable aquaculture and preservation of
biodiversity.
The project provided a venue for relevant expert administrators and aquatic animal health scientists to be
involved in an exercise that will enable them to interact and jointly frame common approaches and solutions
to aquatic animal health problems, including development of an IRA manual for aquatic animals.
The project also allowed different participating economies with varying levels of political and socioeconomic
development to exchange experiences, information and expertise in finding common approaches
to an important issue through effective cooperation, consultation, and confidence and consensus-building
activities.
Governments are the primary users of import risk analysis for the purpose of making and implementing
import/export policy decisions based on international standards that affect international trade. The direct
involvement of key expert government officials was critical to the success of the project in terms of
ensuring awareness of, and support for, the process, both at a national level and with respect to IRA
processes instigated by trading partners. The implementation of national quarantine policy is often complicated
by practical considerations. The input of key expert officials was essential, and enabled the
presentation of case studies regarding their national systems and experiences that provided valuable guidance
in formulating and refining the IRA manual, and provision of expert input in order to ensure that the
manual is a pragmatic document relevant to regulatory authorities.
The ultimate beneficiaries of the project are the business sectors and the rural farming communities. They
will benefit from effective legislation and policies on aquatic animal health that will contribute to increasing
aquaculture production through measures that will safeguard the livelihoods of farmers and the industry
sector from disease incursions.
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