The Hon. Ramalingam Chandrasekar, Minister of Fisheries of Sri Lanka, visited Norway in April 2026, participating in One Ocean Week in Bergen and a series of meetings with Norwegian government institutions, research organisations, and international partners.
As part of the visit, the Sri Lankan delegation met with representatives of the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, the Institute of Marine Research, and UNDP Blue Resilience at the Government Quarter in Oslo. The meeting formed part of Norway’s ongoing cooperation with Sri Lanka on sustainable fisheries, ocean governance, and food security.
Sri Lanka has supported the International Declaration on Transnational Organized Crime in the Global Fishing Industry (Copenhagen Declaration) since 15 October 2018. As part of the Blue Justice Initiative, with support of the UNDP Blue Resilience project, Sri Lanka is an active member of the Blue Justice Community since 2022 and was recently represented at the Blue Justice Conference and Community User Gathering at UN City, Copenhagen, in December 2025.
During the meeting, Anita Utheim Iversen, Head of the Global Action Network on Sustainable Food from the Oceans and Inland Waters for Food Security and Nutrition, led by Norway under the Decade of Action on Nutrition and the Decade of Ocean Science presented the network’s work to promote the role of sustainable aquatic food systems to strengthen food security and nutrition Discussions highlighted the important role of aquatic foods in healthy diets and the contribution of fisheries and aquatic resources to resilient food systems.
Gunnar Stølsvik, Head of the Blue Justice Secretariat, presented the Blue Justice Initiative and its work in supporting Copenhagen Declaration countries through capacity building, digital tools, operational cooperation, and knowledge sharing in the fight against fisheries crime. The discussion also covered maritime monitoring and opportunities for continued cooperation through the Blue Justice Community, which is administered by UNDP.
The meeting provided an opportunity to exchange experiences and explore areas of mutual interest related to fisheries governance, sustainable ocean management, and international cooperation. Representatives from the Institute of Marine Research shared perspectives from their ongoing engagement with Sri Lanka and broader efforts to support sustainable fisheries and marine resource management.
The visit formed part of a broader programme in Norway, including participation in One Ocean Week in Bergen, where the Minister of Fisheries of Sri Lanka contributed to discussions on aquatic foods, food security, and sustainable ocean management. The Minister also gave a high level speech at the Global Action Networks conference Aquatic Foods for Resilient Food Systems marking the extension of United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition to 2030 and bridging with the UN Decade of Ocean Science (2025-2030).
People in the Photo: From Left to right: Stian Olderkjær (UNDP Blue Resilience), Dr. B.K. Kolita Kamal Jinadasa (Secretary, Ministry of Fisheries, Sri Lanka), Anita Utheim Iversen (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries / Global Action Network), Hon. Ramalingam Chandrasekar (Minister of Fisheries, Sri Lanka), Gunnar Stølsvik (Blue Justice Secretariat), S.J. Kahawatte (Director General, Department of Fisheries & Aquatic Resources, Sri Lanka), Jens-Otto Krakstad (Institute of Marine Research (IMR)), Sam Subbey, (researcher at IMR and Outcome II lead for the Sri Lanka–Norway Phase III project) Photographer: Dr. Ole Arve Misund, Institute of Marine Research.