Rome – The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM-FAO) signed on Thursday a cooperation agreement with the National Institute for Fisheries Research (INRH) and the Mohammed I University to encourage training and research in the field of fisheries and marine sciences in the Mediterranean region.

According to a press release from the GFCM, this agreement, signed on the occasion of International Earth Day, will allow the Mohammed I University to contribute to technical training, will help the INRH to build research capacities and will enable the GFCM to offer its expertise while participating in the dissemination of results at the regional level.

This year, as part of the memorandum of understanding, a joint research unit will be created at the Mohammed I University to develop training and research in the field of marine sciences, thus meeting the needs identified during the GFCM Fish Forum 2018.

This research unit will ensure the monitoring and evaluation of the results of joint research projects as well as training and educational programs, and will contribute to the objectives of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for sustainable development 2021-2030 while mobilizing the commitment of stakeholders to advance scientific research and innovation in support of the sustainable management of the oceans, noted the same source.

In addition, the MoU will mark the launch of a Master’s program in Marine Sciences at the Mohammed I University.

“This MoU will contribute to the development of the next generation of researchers and decision-makers in the region,” said Abdellah Srour, Executive Secretary of GFCM.

This approach “will strengthen research synergies as well as the exchange of good practices throughout the Mediterranean region, which is essential because decision-making on our sea resources must be based on real data”, he said.

This memorandum of understanding, which follow the MedFish4Ever Declaration ratified by Morocco, will increase the visibility of the Kingdom in the field of scientific research in the Mediterranean, while promoting the sharing of information between institutions working in the field of fisheries and marine sciences.

Composed of 23 contracting parties, including Morocco, the GFCM is a regional fisheries management organization under the FAO and whose area of ​​competence covers all the waters of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.