Project partner Luis Alonso Zapata Padilla of WWF Colombia and Dr. Carole Durussel of IASS presented the mid-term progress of the STRONG High Seas project at the 14th General Assembly of the Comisión Permanente del Pacífico Sur(CPPS; Permanent Commission for the South Pacific) in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on 29-30 January 2020.
Mr. Zapata Padilla and Dr. Carole Durussel outlined the importance of areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) and the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in these areas, highlighting the contribution of the project for the Southeast Pacific region and progress to date, as well as emphasizing the collaboration between the STRONG High Seas project and the Secretariat of the CPPS.
The meeting was in attendance by country members Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile as well as Panama, and observers. The General Assembly ratified its commitment to the project and countries expressed their continued willingness to strengthen collaboration with the project.
The agenda as well as the outcomes of the General Assembly will be posted on the CPPS website.