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FOREWORD
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations works to achieve food security for all, ensuring people have regular access to sufficient high quality food in order to live active lives. The fisheries and aquaculture sector contribute significantly to food security and nutrition, especially in some of the world's most food-limited regions, while simultaneously supporting the livelihood of hundreds of millions of people around the world. To secure these benefits for present and future generations, however, we must also ensure a constant attention to the sustainable use of our precious natural resources.
The 2020 edition of FAO's The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) was devoted to the topic Sustainability in Action. The publication illustrated successes, but also the challenges faced by the fisheries and aquaculture sector, 25 years after the FAO members endorsed the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. SOFIA highlighted the urgent need to replicate and readapt successful policies and measures in the light of the realities and needs of specific fisheries and ecosystems.
This year and its COVID-19 pandemic have presented many challenges to the fisheries and aquaculture sector, which has resulted in significant shifts in policy responses and strategic priorities. FAO has rapidly transformed its support to member countries in light of the pandemic, finding new ways to work while implementing physical distancing measures, developing social support systems, bolstering domestic marketing and promoting the shift to digital sales to keep supply chains operational.
Underpinning these efforts is the need to rely on high quality, national, regional and global statistics, while ensuring these data are freely accessible to all. Knowledge of the status and trends of the sector, not limited to production, but covering the entire supply chain and considering all social and economic aspects, is key to both sound policy-making and to assess the performance of responsible fisheries and aquaculture management systems. Furthermore, timely, solid and trustworthy data are crucial for demonstrating progress towards achieving the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development. Attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will require a solid framework of indicators and statistical data to monitor progress, inform policy and ensure accountability of all stakeholders.
Although the SDGs are indivisible, primary fisheries and aquaculture work concentrates on SDG 14, aiming to conserve...