Recognizing that the quality and success of disaster management and disaster risk management can be greatly enhanced through consultation and participation, participants at the National Workshop on Small-Scale Fisheries, Cyclone Ockhi and Disaster Risk Management, held in Thiruvananthapurm, India, on 29th and 30th May 2018, called for the application of a human-rights-based approach within the Sendai Framework for Disaster Reduction 2015-2030, and the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (the SSF Guidelines).
Organized by the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers(ICSF), the Workshop, titled Saving Lives, Protecting Livelihoods, called for a national perspective, legal and policy framework that integrate on-land and at-sea disaster management and disaster risk management.
The Workshop noted that coastal fishing communities often have their own mechanisms, processes and institutions relevant for disaster preparedness that can effectively complement governance mechanisms under the jurisdiction of the State.
Workshop participants also pointed to the significance of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 1.5 [B]y 2030 build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters.
They recommended several measures to the appropriate authorities at various levels and other relevant stakeholders, including disaster management authorities, early warning and prediction authorities, fisheries authorities and fishing communities.
The Statement issued at the end of the two-day Workshop concluded that building resilience to natural disasters and climate change of coastal communities requires co-ordination at all levels and open consultation with, and participation of, all stakeholders. This includes an awareness of the responsibilities of the community in ensuring an overall culture of safety at sea and on land.
The full text of the Statement can be accessed at https://dc.demo2.icsf.net/en/component/dcnews/articledetail/11595.html
For Editors:
ICSF is an international non-governmental organization that works towards the establishment of equitable, gender-just,self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector.
For more, please visit demo2.icsf.net
2018 ICSF