UN Adopts Landmark Occupational Safety and Health Code for the Global Aquaculture Sector

GENEVA — The International Labour Organization (ILO), a specialized agency of the United Nations dedicated to promoting social justice and internationally recognized labor rights, has officially adopted its first-ever code of practice on occupational safety and health (OSH) in aquaculture.

The milestone agreement addresses critical regulatory gaps in aquaculture—the farming of fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and aquatic plants—which remains one of the world’s fastest-growing food production sectors. Despite its economic vitalization, the industry’s rapid expansion has outpaced labor protections in numerous regions. According to the ILO, aquaculture workers in several countries continue to face pronounced “decent work deficits” and substandard safety practices, factors that heavily restrict the sector’s sustainable development.

Directives for Global Policy Implementation

The code of practice was established through the ILO’s foundational tripartite structure, converging government experts with representatives of employers’ and workers’ organizations to secure consensus-driven standards. Rooted in binding ILO conventions, the new framework provides stakeholders with clear benchmarks to design, execute, and enforce national policies that mitigate preventable workplace injuries and occupational diseases.

The implementation of the code is expected to drive operational changes across all tiers of the supply chain, from localized small-scale operations to commercial processing facilities.

“Behind every paragraph debated in this room are real people, and the decisions and guidance developed here will ultimately reach workplaces, vessels, aquaculture farms, processing areas, and rural communities around the world,” stated Christine Campeau, Global Policy Director for Food and Nutrition Systems.

Vera Paquete-Perdigao, Director of the ILO Labour Governance and Sectoral Policies Department, emphasized the framework’s operational utility, noting that the organization expects it to serve as an immediate “practical tool for governments, employers, and workers in the design and implementation of occupational safety and health policies,” while driving broader efforts to promote decent work standards across the global agri-food sector.

Strategic Realignment: The Role of the New “Ocean Centres”

The adoption of the safety guidelines aligns directly with broader maritime workforce strategies formalized during the United Nations Ocean Conference. International delegates focused extensively on deploying structural frameworks capable of improving both human safety and ecological sustainability within ocean-dependent industries.

To operationalize these high-level mandates, the conference announced the establishment of dedicated Ocean Centres across seven strategically vital nations:

• Latin America: Brazil

• Africa: Ghana, Kenya

• South & Southeast Asia: India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and the Philippines

Departing from traditional bureaucratic models, these Ocean Centres will not operate as centralized physical offices. Instead, they are structured as decentralized national networks. Led by local specialists and backed by a coalition of engineers, safety professionals, corporate enterprises, and civic leaders, these networks will serve as the primary mechanisms for translating the UN’s global safety codes into actionable, regionally tailored workforce practices.

UN Adopts Landmark Occupational Safety and Health Code for the Global Aquaculture Sector