[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] Noh Dong-jin, Chairman of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives, has been re-elected as Chairman of the Fisheries Committee of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA).

ICA is the largest international non-governmental organization representing cooperatives around the world, and its Fisheries Committee includes fisheries cooperatives from each country.

As the leadership of the world fisheries cooperatives is secured for the next four years, the international status of our fisheries industry is expected to be further strengthened.

On the 3rd (local time), Noh Dong-jin, chairman of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives, was unanimously elected as chairman of the Fisheries Committee by member countries at the ICA Fisheries Committee General Assembly held in Manchester, England. The term of office is four years until 2029.

Chairman Noh, who succeeded to the position of Chairman of the Fisheries Committee in 2023 after the retirement of the former Chairman of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives, will continue to lead the international fisheries cooperation with this election. This is the fifth consecutive time since 2009 that a domestic fisheries cooperative chairman has been elected Chairman of the Fisheries Committee.

This shows that Korea continues to play a central role on the international fisheries stage.

At this general meeting, representatives of member countries, including Abdul Shalaby, Secretary General of the Jordan Cooperative, expressed their active support, highly praising Chairman Noh Dong-jin’s contributions to date, including his support for scholarships for fisheries students and support for the purchase of fisheries equipment.

In his opening remarks at the general meeting, Chairman Noh emphasized, “In order to solve common problems facing the global fisheries industry, such as climate change and the depletion of fishery resources due to the destruction of the marine ecosystem, we will strengthen mutual cooperation among member countries centered around the Fisheries Committee.”

Meanwhile, Chairman Noh Dong-jin visited Rotterdam, Netherlands, at the end of last month ahead of the general meeting, toured local distribution outlets and the Busan Port Authority’s Rotterdam Logistics Center, and explored ways to expand exports of Korean fishery products to Western European countries, including the Netherlands.

Founded in London in 1895, the ICA has approximately 1 billion members in 299 member organizations in 103 countries and has eight sectors: fisheries, agriculture, finance, insurance, consumers, producers, health, and housing. This year marks its 130th anniversary.