A/RES/60/31 Recognizing the endorsement of the Guidelines to Reduce Sea Turtle Mortality in Fishing Operations 11 by the Committee on Fisheries at its twenty-sixth session, Welcoming the fact that a growing number of States, and entities referred to in the Convention and in article 1, paragraph 2 (b), of the Agreement, as well as regional and subregional fisheries management organizations and arrangements, have taken measures, as appropriate, towards the implementation of the provisions of the Agreement, I Achieving sustainable fisheries 1. Reaffirms the importance it attaches to the long-term conservation, management and sustainable use of the marine living resources of the world’s oceans and seas and the obligations of States to cooperate to this end, in accordance with international law, as reflected in the relevant provisions of the Convention,2 in particular the provisions on cooperation set out in Part V and Part VII, section 2, of the Convention, and where applicable, the Agreement;1 2. Emphasizes the obligations of flag States to discharge their responsibilities, in accordance with the Convention and the Agreement, to ensure compliance by vessels flying their flag with the conservation and management measures adopted and in force with respect to fisheries resources on the high seas; Calls upon all States that have not done so, in order to achieve the goal 3. of universal participation, to become parties to the Convention, which sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out, taking into account the relationship between the Convention and the Agreement; Calls upon all States, directly or through regional fisheries management 4. organizations and arrangements, to apply, in accordance with international law, the precautionary approach and an ecosystem approach widely to the conservation, management and exploitation of fish stocks, including straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks, and also calls upon States parties to the Agreement to implement fully the provisions of article 6 of the Agreement as a matter of priority; Welcomes and encourages the work of the Food and Agriculture 5. Organization of the United Nations and its Committee on Fisheries, in particular the recent call to effectively implement the various instruments already developed to ensure responsible fisheries; Urges States to eliminate barriers to trade, including tariff peaks, high 6. tariffs and non-tariff barriers and measures which are not consistent with their obligations under the World Trade Organization agreements, taking into account the importance of the trade of fisheries products, particularly for developing countries; Welcomes the 2005 International Guidelines for the Ecolabelling of Fish 7. and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, acknowledges the role of certification and ecolabelling schemes, which are to be consistent with international law, including _______________ 11 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Report of the Technical Consultation on Sea Turtles Conservation and Fisheries, Bangkok, Thailand, 29 November–2 December 2004, FAO Fisheries Report No. 765 (FIRM/R765(En)), appendix E. 5