History

A man carrying his catch from seaThe Fisheries Training Programme in Iceland was first established under the auspices of the United Nations University.

In 1997 an agreement was signed between the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the United Nations University and the Marine Research Institute of Iceland about the establishment of the United Nations Fisheries Training Programme.

The programme started operation in January 1998 and was run for 22 years under the name UNU-FTP educating over 400 fellows from more than 60 countries. 

Initially, the focus was on the development of our core six-month training programme for practising fisheries professionals from less developed countries.

However, the FTP now offers scholarships supporting former fellows who qualify for master's and doctoral studies at Icelandic academic institutions and cooperates in the development of short courses held in partner countries.

On the 1st January 2020, FTP joined hands with UNESCO through its membership in GRÓ International Centre for Capacity Development – Sustainable use of Natural Resources and Societal Change.