ASEAN-Italy convene 1st Steering Committee Meeting of the Cooperation Mechanism for the Competitive Development of Aquaculture and Small-Scale Fishery in ASEAN Project

October 9, 2025

JAKARTA, 9 October 2025 – The ASEAN Secretariat, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), and the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute (CIHEAM) of Bari today convened the First Steering Committee Meeting of the Cooperation Mechanism for the Competitive Development of Aquaculture and Small-Scale Fishery in ASEAN (COOPMEC) Project at the ASEAN Secretariat. The meeting marked the operational launch of the first Italian Cooperation project under the Italy–ASEAN Development Partnership.

The meeting was attended by representatives from ASEAN Member States (AMS) under the ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Fisheries (ASWGFi), together with officials from AICS, CIHEAM-Bari, and the ASEAN Secretariat.

The COOPMEC Project is a three-year regional initiative, funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) through AICS and implemented by CIHEAM-Bari. With a total budget of EUR 3 million, the project aims to support AMS in developing sustainable, inclusive, and competitive aquaculture and small-scale fisheries sectors, thereby contributing to regional food security, livelihoods, and economic resilience.

At the meeting, participants reviewed and endorsed the Inception Report, the General Operational Plan (GOP), and the First Annual Operational Plan (AOP), which set forth the project’s strategic priorities and implementation roadmap for 2025–2026. Discussions highlighted key thematic areas, including capacity-building through high-level training programmes in Italy, the establishment of a digital knowledge-sharing platform, and a pilot initiative in Viet Nam focused on good aquaculture practices.

The meeting concluded with remarks by Roberto Colaminè, Ambassador of Italy to Indonesia, Dr. Margherita Lulli, Head of the AICS Office in Hanoi, and Dr. Ahmad Zafarullah Abdul Jalil, Director of the ASEAN Integration Monitoring Directorate of the ASEAN Secretariat.

In their statements, they underscored the importance of continued partnership between ASEAN and Italy in fostering resilient, inclusive, and environmentally sustainable fisheries and aquaculture sectors, in line with shared commitments to the ASEAN Blue Economy Framework and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.