Secretariat and its Corporate Plan

The work of the Commission is supported by four subsidiary bodies created under the WCPF Convention; the Scientific Committee (SC), the Technical and Compliance Committee (TCC), the Northern Committee (NC) and the Finance and Administration Committee (FAC). The subsidiary bodies each meet once a year before the annual session of the Commission. The Commission also established a Secretariat to support the work of the Commission.

Secretariat

Role: Article 15(4) of the WCPF Convention defines the role of the Secretariat to include the following:

1. Receiving and transmitting the Commission’s official communications;
2. Facilitating the compilation and dissemination of data necessary to accomplish the objective of this Convention;
3. Preparing administrative and other reports for the Commission and the Scientific and Technical and Compliance Committees;
4. Administering agreed arrangements for monitoring, control and surveillance and the provision of scientific advice;
5. Publishing the decisions of and promoting the activities of the Commission and its subsidiary bodies; and
6. Treasury, personnel and other administrative functions.

The Commission and the work of its Secretariat is currently supported using the technical services of other existing regional institutions, namely the Pacific Community (SPC), Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) and the International Scientific Committee for Tuna and Tuna-like species in the North Pacific Ocean (ISC).  

A diagram that illustrates the relationship between the Commission, its subsidiary bodies, its Secretariat and three other regional institutions is provided below:

Work delivery: The work of the Secretariat is primarily delivered through three core functions: the Science Programme, Compliance and MCS Programme and Finance and Administration. The Secretariat also supports the work of the Northern Committee in consultation with its Member countries. These functions are overseen by the Executive Director and supported by ICT services of the Secretariat. 

• The Science Programme, headed by the Science Manager, provides a support role to the work of the Scientific Committee. It facilitates the provision to the Commission of the best scientific advice and information on the status of the highly migratory fish stocks and necessary management advice and implications. The Science Programme also provides advice on mitigation measure for bycatch of non-target, associated or dependent species. The Science Programme engage the services of the Oceanic Fisheries Programme of the Pacific Community (SPC-OFP) as the Scientific Services Provider and Data Manager for the Commission. It also utilizes the services of the the International Scientific Committee for Tuna and Tuna-like Species in the North Pacific Ocean (ISC) to support the work of the Northern Committee concerning the management of northern stocks. The Science Programme also engages periodic peer reviews of stock assessments provided to the Commission by scientific experts.
• The Compliance and MCS Programme, headed by the Compliance Manager, provides a support role to the work of the Technical and Compliance Committee, including the annual compliance monitoring scheme processes.  The Programme also administers the technical operation of Commission agreed arrangements for monitoring, control and surveillance which include inter alia the Commissions Record of Fishing Vessels, Vessel Monitoring System, Regional Observer Programme, IUU Vessel List, High Seas Boarding and Inspection Scheme, monitoring of high seas transhipment activities and administration of data access rules and procedures.
• The Finance and Administration Programme, headed by the Finance and Administration Manager, provides a support role to the work of the Finance and Administration Committee usually convened in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Commission.  The Programme supports the other two technical programmes by ensuring that necessary financial resources and administrative and institutional arrangements to support the operation of those programmes are in order and adequate. It is also responsible for administering the Commission’s budget, contracts, human resources, meeting logistics, information technology and facilities management.

Organisational Structure: The Secretariat has a current staffing of 34 staff (9 professional staff and 25 support staff), plus a Legal Adviser engaged on a retainer basis. They function under an organisational structure that has been illustrated in the Corporate Plan (image).

Introduction to the Secretariat Corporate Plan

At WCPFC16, the Commission noted the medium-term WCPFC Secretariat Corporate Plan 2020-2023 as a living document to guide the work of the Secretariat and agreed for the Secretariat to proceed to finalise it as an internal planning document (WCPFC16 Summary Report paragraph 614). Secretariat Corporate Plan 2020-2023 (358.13 KB) 

The Plan is intended to be a living document and will be refreshed as needed to account for new activities and emerging demands on the Secretariat.The purpose of this Corporate Plan (the Plan) is to describe the support services that the Secretariat provides to the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and its members, cooperating non-members and participating territories (CCMs) and other stakeholders. The Plan will facilitate the work of the Commission by clarifying the role of the Secretariat, outlining Members’ expectations of the Secretariat and its performance, and identifying priority work areas for the Secretariat over the period of this Plan. The Plan is intended to be a living document and will be refreshed as needed to account for new activities and emerging demands on the Secretariat.

Mission: To provide efficient and effective secretariat services to enable the WCPFC to fulfil its key mandate to ensure, through effective management, the long-term conservation and sustainable use of highly migratory fish stocks in the western and central Pacific Ocean.

Goals and Objectives