It is unanimously that the deputies of the national assembly adopted, on May 4, 2023, three bills. The first relates to the privileges and immunities of the international tribunal for the law of the sea, the second relates to the conservation of Atlantic tunas and the third relates to the creation of the world institute for green growth.
It was during the third plenary session of the first ordinary session of the year under the chairmanship of Mrs. Yawa Djigbodi Tsègan, President of the National Assembly in the presence of Kokou Edem Tengué, Minister of Maritime Economy, Fisheries and Coastal Protection and Foli-Bazi Katari, Minister of the Environment and Forest Resources.
The first bill authorizes Togo’s accession to the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, adopted on May 23, 1997. Togo is a State party to the United Nations Convention on the the Sea in 1985 and signatory of the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. However, Togo has not ratified it, having nevertheless accepted the jurisdiction of this Tribunal as being one of the jurisdictional mechanisms for the settlement of any disputes relating to the interpretation or application of the said convention.
By adhering to this convention, the country reaffirms its attachment to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. In addition, by allowing the Tribunal to enjoy, on Togolese territory, the legal capacity and the privileges and immunities attached to the exercise of its missions, adherence to the Agreement on Privileges and Immunities offers Togo another definite asset, that of benefiting from the services of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, in particular the settlement of disputes arising from the delimitation of maritime borders of Togo.
The second bill authorizes Togo’s accession to the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, adopted on May 14, 1966 in Rio de Janeiro. It aims to set up a commission called the “International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)”, responsible for ensuring the conservation of tunas and other related species.
By adhering to this convention, Togo ensures the development of industrial tuna fishing, a source of revenue generation through foreign exchange.
This membership contributes, among other things, to the creation of tuna canning and frozen tuna export units, the creation of jobs with the development of industrial tuna fishing, the strengthening of international cooperation in maritime fishing in view of the sustainable management of maritime resources and the fight against illegal fishing.
The third project authorizing Togo’s accession to the Agreement on the creation of the World Institute for Green Growth, adopted on June 20, 2012, in Rio de Janeiro supports a new model of economic growth called “green growth” characterized by a balance between economic growth and environmental protection.
This membership therefore ensures in Togo the promotion of green growth and economic growth, in particular the drastic reduction of waste and a limitation of resources and energy allocated to consumption and production. The country will also benefit from technical assistance from the Global Green Growth Institute. This membership strengthens the capacity to mobilize additional financial resources from the State budget, accelerates access to climate funds, ensures better protection of the environment, contributes to the implementation of initiatives for the transition to a resilient country with the effect of changing jobs, creating jobs and developing skills.
Kokou Edem Tengué, Minister of the Maritime Economy, Fisheries and Coastal Protection and Foli-Bazi Katari, Minister of the Environment and Forest Resources welcomed the availability of the National Representation alongside the government for the decision to major decisions for the benefit of the nation.
The President of the National Assembly, Ms. Yawa Djigbodi Tsègan, expressed her gratitude to the Foreign Relations Committee, the Government Commissioner and all the deputies for their high sense of responsibility and rigor which made it possible to examine and to pass these three bills.
She hailed the relevance of all the bills initiated under the very senior leadership of the President of the Republic, His Excellency, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, aimed at providing Togo with a legal and institutional arsenal, which consolidates the position of Togo in the face of the law of the sea and provides an important boost for the progress of the global sustainable development agenda.