PEW Second Virtual Expert Workshop on Best Practices in Compliance In RFMOs: The Role of Transparency in Improving RFMO Compliance

This paper reports on the Second Virtual Expert Workshop on Best Practices in Compliance in RFMOs convened in March 2021 by The PEW Charitable Trust and the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation. The second Workshop focused on the issue of transparency, which was regarded by participants at the first Workshop as a potential driver of improved quality of information, better data exchange internal to RFMOs and among States and RFMOs, stronger verification mechanisms and increased external confidence in RFMO compliance processes.
This report outlines the challenges and potential solutions when considering transparency across the various facets, roles and functions in RFMOs and, in particular, compliance review and assessment processes.