A/RES/55/8 action of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for reducing the incidental take of seabirds in longline fisheries, for the conservation and management of sharks and for the management of fishing capacity, since the state of progress in the implementation of all three plans will be reported to the Committee on Fisheries of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations at the twenty-fourth session of the Committee, to be held from 26 February to 2 March 2001; 4. Takes note with satisfaction of the activities of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations aimed at providing assistance to developing countries in upgrading their capabilities in monitoring, control and surveillance, through its Interregional Programme of Assistance to Developing Countries for the Implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries; 5. Also takes note with satisfaction of the activities of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in cooperation with relevant United Nations agencies, in particular the United Nations Environment Programme and the Global Environment Facility, aimed at promoting the reduction of by-catch and discards in fisheries activities; 6. Reiterates the importance of continued or strengthened efforts by States directly or, as appropriate, through the relevant regional and subregional organizations, and by other international organizations, to make it a high priority to support, including through financial and/or technical assistance, with a particular emphasis on capacity-building, the efforts of developing States, in particular the least developed countries and the small island developing States, to achieve the goals and implement the actions called for in the present resolution, including to improve the monitoring and control of fishing activities and the enforcement of fishing regulations; 7. Urges States, relevant international organizations and regional and subregional fisheries management organizations and arrangements that have not done so to take action to reduce by-catch, fish discards and post-harvest losses, consistent with international law and relevant international instruments, including the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries; 8. Calls upon States and other entities referred to in article 1, paragraph 2 (b), of the Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks 1 that have not done so to ratify or accede to the Agreement and to consider applying it provisionally; 9. Calls upon States and other entities referred to in article 10, paragraph 1, of the Agreement to Promote Compliance with International Conservation and Management Measures by Fishing Vessels on the High Seas that have not deposited instruments of acceptance of the Agreement to do so; 10. Recalls that Agenda 21, adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, 5 calls upon States to take effective action, consistent with international law, to deter reflagging of vessels by their nationals as a means of 5 Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 3–14 June 1992 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.93.I.8 and corrigenda), vol. I: Resolutions adopted by the Conference, resolution 1, annex II. 4