A conference was held in Hanoi on July 9 to review the national implementation of the Regional Fisheries Livelihoods Programme in South and Southeast Asia (RFLP).

The programme, funded the Spanish Government and coordinated by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), has been conducted in the central provinces of Quang Tri, Quang Nam, and Thua Thien-Hue from 2009.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Directorate of Fisheries, Nguyen Huy Dien, said the programme has contributed to the improvement of living conditions for fishing communities in coastal areas.

Javier de Isturiz, Deputy Head of Mission of the Spanish Embassy in Vietnam, expressed his hope that the RFLP will help foster sustainable exploitation and management of fisheries resources, reduce the risks facing fishing communities, boost local income and improve the quality of aquatic products so as to expand market chains.

After more than three years of implementation in Vietnam, the RFLP has established 14 fishery trade unions in the three localities.

It has also provided training courses on issues related to fishing management, maritime safety, disaster prevention and control, food processing and preservation and microfinance and marketing for nearly 7,000 people.

The RFLP has also been implemented in Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste.-VNA