Feeding an expected global population of 9 billion by 2050 is a daunting challenge that is engaging hundreds of millions of farmers, food processors, traders, researchers, technical experts, and leaders the world over. Fish and other aquatic products from aquaculture can and will play a major role in meeting the dietary demands of all people, while also meeting the food security needs of the poorest. To realize the maximum contributions of the aquaculture sector toward achieving the targets set by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2030, coordinated and accelerated actions are required. Not only must these actions increase sustainable production, but also address the broader value chain, markets, and decent employment. Recognizing the critical importance of aquaculture, and the need to exchange and discuss reliable information to further enhance its contribution to sustainable development, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), at the request of its Members, collaborated with the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, to organize the Global Conference on Aquaculture Millennium +20 (GCA +20), 22–25 September 2021, in Shanghai, the People's Republic of China. Under the theme “Aquaculture for food and sustainable development”, the GCA +20 aimed to bring stakeholders from government, business, academia, and civil society together to identify the policy and technology innovations, investment opportunities and fruitful areas of cooperation in aquaculture for food and sustainable development. A key output from the GCA +20 – the Shanghai Declaration on Aquaculture for Food and Sustainable Development – highlights the principles and strategic pathways to maximize sustainable aquaculture in achieving the SDGs, with a special focus on “Leaving no one behind”.

The Conference on Aquaculture in the Third Millennium was held for the purpose of developing a strategy for aquaculture development in the next 20 years. It was a sequel to the Kyoto Conference on Aquaculture, which was organized by FAO in May-June 1976. This report of the Bangkok Conference on Aquaculture, the second publication arising from the Millennium Conference, includes the detailed recommendations of the 14 thematic conference sessions. The third publication will be the technical proceedings of the Bangkok Conference (available from NACA - see http: //www.enaca.org/).

Attended by 446 registered participants from 80 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Near East, North America and Oceania, representing all stakeholder groups in aquaculture, it was organized in four sessions (introduction and opening, regional reviews and a global synthesis on aquaculture development, thematic sessions in six plenary lectures and 20 expert reviews, recommendations and conclusions based on these thematic reviews) and included three invited guest lectures, four side events and poster sessions (abstracts of 144 papers). A main outcome of the Phuket Conference on Aquaculture is the "Phuket Consensus". This "Consensus" reaffirms commitment to the principles laid out in the Bangkok Declaration and Strategy adopted in the Global Conference on Aquaculture in 2000 and recommends additional actions to address contemporary priorities.

The Conference on Aquaculture in the Third Millennium was held for the purpose of developing a strategy for aquaculture development in the next 20 years. It was a sequel to the Kyoto Conference on Aquaculture, which was organized by FAO in May-June 1976. This report of the Bangkok Conference on Aquaculture, the second publication arising from the Millennium Conference, includes the detailed recommendations of the 14 thematic conference sessions. The third publication will be the technical proceedings of the Bangkok Conference (available from NACA - see http: //www.enaca.org/).

The Global Conference on Aquaculture 2010 brought together a wide range of experts and important stakeholders and reviewed the present status and trends in aquaculture development, evaluated the progress made in the implementation of the 2000 Bangkok Declaration and Strategy, addressed emerging issues relevant to aquaculture development, assessed opportunities and challenges for future aquaculture development and built consensus on advancing aquaculture as a global, sustainable and competitive food production sector. This volume, yet another joint effort of FAO and NACA, brings the outcome of the Global Conference on Aquaculture 2010, the much-needed clear and comprehensive technical information on how aquaculture could be mobilized to alleviate global poverty and improve food and nutrition security in the coming decades.

The 2018 edition of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture emphasizes the sector’s role in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, and measurement of progress towards these goals. It notes the particular contributions of inland and small-scale fisheries, and highlights the importance of rights-based governance for equitable and inclusive development. As in past editions, the publication begins with a global analysis of trends in fisheries and aquaculture production, stocks, processing and use, trade and consumption, based on the latest official statistics, along with a review of the status of the world’s fishing fleets and human engagement and governance in the sector. Topics explored in Parts 2 to 4 include aquatic biodiversity; the ecosystem approach to fisheries and to aquaculture; climate change impacts and responses; the sector’s contribution to food security and human nutrition; and issues related to international trade, consumer protection and sustainable value chains. Global developments in combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, selected ocean pollution concerns and FAO’s efforts to improve capture fishery data are also discussed. The issue concludes with the outlook for the sector, including projections to 2030. As always, The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture aims to provide objective, reliable and up-to- date information to a wide audience, including policy-makers, managers, scientists, stakeholders and indeed all those interested in the fisheries and aquaculture sector.

It includes five parts and one Annex section. Part 1 covers the introduction session of the Conference and provides an overview of the whole event. Part 2 recaps the presentations and discussions of the regional and global reviews on aquaculture development. Part 3 summarizes the presentations and discussions of the six thematic sessions. Part 4 summarizes the presentations and discussions of the three invited guest lectures. Part 5 reviews the recommendations from the six thematic sessions. The Annex section includes the list of participants, the Conference program, the abstracts of the two keynote addresses and the three invited guest lectures as well as the full text of the Phuket Consensus. Regional reviews, the global synthesis and the thematic reviews are published separately.