PALIKIR, Pohnpei—The Legal & Policy Framework Assessment Report for the Blue Prosperity Micronesia Program is now available to the public. The assessment surveys laws, policies, and governmental institutions of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) that are relevant to the management of marine resources. Findings will inform discussions for policy and legal development in support of marine spatial planning, and the protection of the FSM’s marine waters.
This report is the result of research by a team of lawyers under the guidance of the FSM Department of Justice; content has been vetted for accuracy and completeness by a group of government officials working at the national, state, and municipal levels. The authors, who include attorneys David C. Angyal and Lucas M. Cupps of Ramp & Mida, Bruce Myers, Vanessa Dick, and Rocky Sanchez Tirona, requested written comments on a draft of document from the following fourteen (14) organizations: Micronesia Conservation Trust, FSM Department of Justice, National Oceanic Resource Management Authority (NORMA), the FSM Department of Resources & Development, the Department of Environment, Climate Change, & Emergency Management, FSM National Police Maritime Surveillance, the Office of National Archives, Overseas Embassies, Consulates and Missions, the Office of the Legislative Counsel of the Congress, the National Fisheries Corporation, and the State Governments of Yap, Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Chuuk.
The report was produced in partnership for Blue Prosperity Micronesia and Rare’s Fish Forever program, under the Fishing for Climate Resilience project, with funding from the Waitt Institute and Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety through the International Climate Initiative (IKI). It seeks to provide both programs with a legal foundation to help advance sustainable resource management in the FSM.
This report is part of a larger Blue Prosperity Micronesia program to protect, value, and sustainably use the ocean resources of the FSM through the development of a legally binding marine spatial plan.
“I encourage everyone who wants to protect this Paradise in Our Backyards, who wants to protect 30% of the FSM’s waters, to read this legal and policy framework assessment report,” His Excellency David W. Panuelo, President of the FSM, said in a statement.
The report may be found here:FSM_Legal_Framework_Assessment_V4_Final_27AUG21
Any and all other Blue Prosperity Micronesia resources may be found on a dedicated page here:https://www.blueprosperitymicronesia.org/resources
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About Blue Prosperity Micronesia
Blue Prosperity Micronesia is a nationwide initiative of the FSM Government, the Blue Prosperity Coalition (BPC), and state government partners. The program aims to preserve the FSM’s marine environment and fisheries resources, and to balance economic development with marine protection. The parties share the goals of building a blue economy in the FSM to achieve the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, and improving livelihoods, jobs, and ocean ecosystem health. Blue Prosperity Micronesia envisions an approach – grounded in marine spatial planning and informed by the best available science – that will fully protect at least thirty percent of the FSM’s waters.
About Rare’s Fish Forever Program and Work in the FSM
Fish Forever is Rare’s coastal fisheries program, which is currently being implemented in eight countries. It focuses on helping countries or any of their government subunits (e.g., state and municipal) address the issue of coastal overfishing by combining efforts to protect critical habitat with effective co-management for coastal fisheries to ensure food security, support the productive economy, safeguard livelihoods, and contribute to the achievement of national and global sustainable development goals. The approach includes the establishment or expansion of networks of marine reserves, paired with managed access areas that allow appropriate access and resource rights for small-scale fishers.
