AOMM to be Held for the First Time in 23 Years to Discuss the Future of Maritime Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region

- Discussion on regional cooperation measures for current maritime and fisheries issues such as enhancing marine resilience and eradicating IUU fishing

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister Kang Do-hyung) announced that the 5th APEC Ocean-related Ministerial Meeting (AOMM) will be held under the theme of “Sailing to Our Blue Future– Connectivity, Innovation, and Prosperity” in Busan from Wednesday, April 30 to Thursday, May 1.

 As the first of the sector-specific ministerial meetings to be held on the occasion of Korea's assumption of the 2025 APEC Summit Chairmanship, the 5th AOMM is expected to be attended by approximately 150 high-ranking officials including the Philippines’ Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources Jelta Wong, and ministers and vice ministers of maritime affairs and fisheries from 21 APEC economic bodies.

 At this meeting, the attendees will discuss the main agenda items including △enhancing ocean resilience, △preserving the marine environment, △combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and △promoting sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. Korea plans to propose establishing an APEC roadmap for enhancing ocean resilience and revitalizing the APEC Marine Environmental Training & Education Center (AMETEC*).

 * AMETEC: Established under the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) on the occasion of the 1st AOMM in 2002, this center operates ocean-related capacity-building workshops and job training programs for APEC member countries.

 The 5th AOMM will be held in succession to the 10th Our Ocean Conference (OOC) held in Busan from Monday, April 28 to Wednesday, April 30 and is expected to facilitate more effective discussions on global ocean cooperation by reflecting the cooperation achievement of the 10th OOC to the APEC discussions.

 “I am very pleased that Korea is once again hosting the AOMM, 23 years after the inaugural meeting in Seoul in 2002. This meeting will culminate marine and fisheries discussions within APEC and suggest the direction for future ocean cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region,” Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Kang Do-hyung said.