The Committee is made up of civil and military authorities.
March 30, 2021 – 2:24 pm
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The Interinstitutional Committee of the Sea (CIM), the body in charge of approving cross-sector public policy of the sea and its associated articulation and monitoring, met for the first time today – four months after its the entry into force under Executive Decree 1197 on 26 November 2020, which ordered the reorganization of its structure and that the Foreign Ministry or Ministry of Foreign Affairs exercise its presidency and secretariat.
In the analysis of the incursion of the international fishing fleet in the surroundings of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Galapagos , several sectors mentioned the lack of activation of this Committee, which was created in 2011, as one more mechanism to stop possible irregularities in deep-sea fishing.
The Committee will begin work with an aim toward reviewing the inter-institutional sea policy, which is key and indispensable for the definition and management of clear and efficient maritime policies.
In his speech, Foreign Minister José Mejía Dalmau stated that this first meeting of the CIM is held after the restructuring ordered by President Lenín Moreno and that the objective of the committee is to approve, articulate and evaluate the intersectional public policy of the sea.
“The policy of the sea is based on sovereignty and has a direct relationship with the country’s economy, the conservation of the oceans and marine biodiversity, but also with food sovereignty and the reduction of poverty. Therefore, the design and management of this policy, and therefore the work of the CIM, should be oriented towards achieving the sustainable development goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
I know that it is not easy and that the management of maritime policy faces great challenges and threats, such as climate change, the loss of biodiversity or marine pollution; [these challenges] cause foreign fishing activities to come closer and closer to our exclusive economic zone, a situation that in turn puts at risk the marine biodiversity itself and the very sustainability of the national fishing activity. In this context, the role of the CIM is key in the definition of oceanic and coastal policies, in the adoption of an cross-sector agenda of the sea and in the treatment of topics that are of high political sensitivity related to this theme,” he expressed.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Oswaldo Jarrín suggested mentioning “national sovereignty” in the CIM statutes as an introduction, given that article 1 of the Constitution establishes national sovereignty as the original basis.
“A reference should be made to the statutes, either in the considerations or in an introduction, to both the Constitution and to the laws in which national sovereignty is mentioned; we absolutely agree to all the rest,” added Jarrín.
Among the points discussed in this first meeting were: the draft Statute of the Committee; the discussion about the vision, objectives and work priorities; the conservation of marine ecosystems; the sustainable use of resources, risk management, security and maritime sovereignty. (I)
Read the original coverage via El Universo at https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/politica/comite-interinstitucional-mar-reune-cuatro-meses-despues-decreto-reorganizacion-nota/
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