The 2nd Regional Technical Committee Meeting and Project Steering Committee (PSC) Meeting of the BOBLME II Project was held in Bangkok on 16th and 17th December 2024. The meetings aimed to update members on the progress made since the project's inception in December 2023 and agree to the project work plan and budget for 2025-26. The PSC also elected Sri Lanka and Thailand as Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, for the second consecutive term.

 

PSC members and the National Project Coordinators from Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand; observers from Indonesia, Malaysia and NORAD; and other experts and officials from project implementing and executing agencies viz., FAO, IUCN, BOBP-IGO and SEAFDEC took part.

 

Dr. P Krishnan, Director, BOBP-IGO and Mr. R Mukherjee, Policy Analyst and Consultant, participated in the meetings and presented a comprehensive overview of the project's key components being handled by BOBP-IGO, namely, the promotion of EAFM, curbing IUU fishing and reducing pollution from fisheries apart from support to regional coordination.

 

The PSC members expressed satisfaction that the project has been grounded well and that a necessary operational framework was instituted in the countries during the inception year. The Work Plan proposed by the executing agencies was endorsed by the PSC.