Towards Action Beyond Commitments: Regional and International Cooperation for SDG 14.4(Sustainable Fisheries) Implementation

Hon. Alitia Bainivalu currently serves as the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry of the Republic of Fiji (since June 2024). She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of the South Pacific and a Master’s degree in Marine Science from Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology. She has previously served as a senior fisheries officer at the Ministry of Fisheries and Forestry and as a Member of Parliament (2022–June 2024).

Professor Manuel Barange is Assistant Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Director of its Fisheries and Aquaculture Division. He is an honorary professor at the University of Exeter, UK, and Visiting Professor at the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, CAFS, China.

Barange was Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Director of Science at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (UK) and Chair of the scientific committee of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Professor Barange is a global fisheries and aquaculture expert, with particular focus on climate and anthropogenic impacts on marine ecosystems and on the role of aquatic foods in ending hunger and poverty. He has over 130 academic publications and is the lead Editor of the FAO flagship biennial publication “State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture”.

He has contributed to several IPCC reports and was Review Editor of the IPCC special report on Oceans and the Cryosphere (SROCC). In 2010 he was awarded the UNESCO-IOC Roger Revelle Medal for his contribution to ocean science.

Mr. Chun Kyoo PARK is the Head of UN Office for Sustainable Development as of 26 October 2020. Before that, he has served at the government for almost 30 years mainly at the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea where he joined in 1991 starting at mid-level management rising to the rank of the Vice Minister of Environment. Throughout the experience, he has built various capacities and broadened the scope of work by engaging in many different areas of sustainable development.

Mr. Park’s works range from air and water quality management to nature conservation, waste management, chemicals management, sewerage system, etc. Tackling climate change has been his major concern and produced lots of achievements at the ministry including setting up Korean National Mitigation Targets.

Moreover, his career stretches to the international cooperation where he worked as the first secretary of the Republic of Korea Mission to the UN in charge of works related to the UN General Assembly 2nd Committee, and the Commission on Sustainable Development. He has attended various international meetings which include CBD COP13 in Cancun, Mexico as the chair of the COP12 Presidency and the most recently the 4th UN Environment Assembly in 2019 in his capacity as the head of Korean delegation. He worked closely with UN organizations to support program such as the UNEP’s PAGE (Partnership for Action on Green Economy) and the first international workshop for developing country officials on MRV (Measurement, Reporting, and Verification) jointly with UNFCCC and/or EU.

He graduated from Yonsei University majoring Public Administration and holds a Master’s degree in Development Policy and Public Administration at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He is co-author of three books including “Carbon Market, Are You Ready to Buy or Sell It.”

Marion Jansen is the Director of the Trade and Agriculture Directorate (TAD), having been appointed in September 2020. She oversees the implementation of the OECD’s work on international trade, agriculture and fisheries and its contributions to relevant G20, G7 and APEC tracks, and other relevant international forums like the WTO and FAO. Before joining the OECD, Marion Jansen was Chief Economist at the International Trade Centre (ITC) in Geneva. Prior to this, she held senior research positions in the World Trade Organization and headed the Trade and Employment Programme at the International Labour Organization.

Marion Jansen has published widely on international trade and global governance and has lectured in multiple academic institutions, including the University of Geneva and the World Trade Institute. She is member of the Board of the Centre d’études prospectives et d’informations internationales (CEPII) in Paris, the Advisory Board of the World Trade Institute (WTI) in Bern, the Advisory Board of the Centre for Inclusive Trade Policy (University of Sussex), and of the Advisory Board of the MSc IB at SKEMA Business School in Paris. She was also a member of the WEF’s Global Future Council on Trade and Investment 2023-24.

A German national, Marion Jansen holds a Doctorate Degree in International Economics from the Pompeu Fabra University (Spain) and undergraduate degrees in economics from the University of Konstanz (Germany), the University of Passau (Germany) and the University of Toulouse (France). In addition to her native language, German, she also speaks fluent Dutch, English, French, Italian and Spanish.

Rhea Moss-Christian is the Executive Director of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), an international body overseeing the management of the largest tuna fishery globally. Appointed by the commission’s 41 member countries and territories in December 2022, her role reflects her extensive experience and leadership in fisheries management and conservation efforts across the Pacific Islands region for nearly three decades.

Her professional journey includes significant contributions as an independent consultant, where she worked with organizations such as The Nature Conservancy and the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency on various fisheries-related projects. This work built on her earlier career in public service, which began in 1996 at the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she managed the Asia/Pacific portfolio and represented RMI in the WCPFC Convention negotiations.

Moss-Christian’s expertise also led her to roles with the United States National Fisheries Service in Honolulu, Hawaii, and the Federated States of Micronesia's National Oceanic Resource Management Authority (NORMA). Her commitment to sustainable fisheries management and compliance was demonstrated through her leadership in Chairing the WCPFC’s Technical and Compliance Committee from 2012-2014 and her historic tenure as Chair of the WCPFC from 2015 to 2018—the first woman to achieve this position.

In 2017, she was appointed as the first Chair of the Marshall Islands National Nuclear Commission, where she played a pivotal role in establishing the commission and developing a national strategy for nuclear justice. Her career in the Marshall Islands government also includes roles as Deputy Secretary of Resources and Development and as an Oceans and Fisheries Adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Moss-Christian serves on the Board of Advisors to the Pacific Security College at the Australian National University and as a member of the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network. Rhea’s academic background consists of a Global MBA from The Fletcher School at Tufts University, an MA in International Policy Studies from Stanford University, a Post-Graduate Certificate in Diplomatic Studies from Oxford University, and a BA in Politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Born in the Marshall Islands and holding dual nationality with the United States, Moss-Christian resides in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, with her husband Christopher Christian and their daughter Isla. Her career embodies a deep commitment to environmental stewardship, international cooperation, and the advancement of sustainable fisheries management.

Dr. Tom Pickerell is a marine biologist with over 25 years’ experience in ocean sustainability, including fisheries and aquaculture, climate change impacts and policy development. Tom leads the Ocean Program at the World Resources Institute (WRI) and heads the Secretariat of the High Level Panel for A Sustainable Ocean Economy.

Tom has held a variety of roles in the third sector (including at Pew, WWF-UK, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership and the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program), has worked in UK government, and led the development of two pre-competitive collaborations working on tuna and pelagic fisheries. Tom has a degree in Marine Biology, a master’s degree in Analytical Biology, and a Ph.D. in shellfish genetics.