The third meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee of the BOBP-IGO was held in Beruwala, Sri Lanka on March 28 and 29, 2008. Representatives of member-countries (Bangladesh, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka) and observers from the FAO took part. The Hon Neomal Perera, Deputy Minister of Fisheries & Aquatic Resources, Government of Sri Lanka, delivered the inaugural address.
The meeting discussed the report of the activities of the BOBP-IGO for the period April 2007 to March 2008 – mainly capacity-building, regional workshops and publications – and the work plan for 2008-2009. Proposals and priorities of member-countries were also heard and discussed. The progress of the South Asia component of the Global Project on 'Safety at Sea for Small-scale Fisheries’, initiated in May 2007 and implemented by the FAO through the BOBP-IGO, was presented and discussed.