The World Aquaculture Society (WAS) has secured a major global victory for sustainable food production, receiving the prestigious Global Technical Recognition from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. This honor, announced on October 15, 2025, underscores the critical role of WAS in spearheading the transformation of sustainable aquatic food systems worldwide.
This recognition was a high-profile moment during the FAO’s 80th Anniversary celebrations and the highly influential World Food Forum (WFF) 2025 flagship event, held at the FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy. The World Food Forum, an essential global platform, focuses on driving action to transform agrifood systems through the power of youth, science and innovation, and strategic investment. By uniting diverse voices, the WFF accelerates progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), driving change at global, regional, and local levels.
Elevating aquatic food systems to a global priority
The award presentation by FAO Director-General Dr. Qu Dongyu marked the organization’s first-ever Global Technical Recognition Ceremony. This new ceremony aims to specifically highlight FAO partners for their technical leadership, collaboration, innovation, and best practices in transforming sustainable agrifood systems.
The World Aquaculture Society was one of several partners recognized for their pivotal contributions across six key areas, with WAS specifically honored for its work in Sustainable aquatic food systems. The other recognized areas included:
- Sustainable livestock transformation, One Health, animal health, and Reference Centres.
- South-South and Triangular Cooperation.
- Land, soil, and water resource management for resilient agriculture and food security.
- Sustainable Forest production and protection.
- Sustainable plant production and protection.
This acknowledgment solidifies WAS’s position as a pivotal vehicle and instrument for advancing sustainable aquaculture development across the globe.
Decades of partnership and leadership
Receiving this honorary accolade not only celebrates recent achievements but also reaffirms WAS’s enduring role as a global leader in fostering enhanced international communications, collaborations, education, and information exchange on aquaculture. This partnership has a long history, dating back to the 1970s, proving to be vital to the FAO’s long-standing program of work on aquaculture.
The award was accepted on behalf of the WAS by Mr. Blessing Mapfumo, Executive Officer of the WAS African Chapter, representing the WAS-FAO Global Liaison person, Dr. Antonio Garza D Yta. The recognition acts as a powerful global mandate to continue and intensify the push for Blue Transformation—a strategic vision for more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive aquatic food systems that meet the growing global demand for nutritious food.
World Food Forum 2025: A Nexus for systemic change
The World Food Forum 2025, which ran from October 10 to 17, was a full week of global dialogue, knowledge exchange, and solution-driven collaboration. The entire event was guided by the powerful theme: “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future,” which directly aligns with FAO’s four betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life.
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Editor at the digital magazine AquaHoy. He holds a degree in Aquaculture Biology from the National University of Santa (UNS) and a Master’s degree in Science and Innovation Management from the Polytechnic University of Valencia, with postgraduate diplomas in Business Innovation and Innovation Management. He possesses extensive experience in the aquaculture and fisheries sector, having led the Fisheries Innovation Unit of the National Program for Innovation in Fisheries and Aquaculture (PNIPA). He has served as a senior consultant in technology watch, an innovation project formulator and advisor, and a lecturer at UNS. He is a member of the Peruvian College of Biologists and was recognized by the World Aquaculture Society (WAS) in 2016 for his contribution to aquaculture.
