A handbook — titled “Towards gender equitable small-scale fisheries governance and development — in support of the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) has been published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO.
This document was developed through a participatory process initiated by FAO, following a series of regional consultations on the implementation of the SSF Guidelines during which a request for more information on how to address gender issues, in particular women’s empowerment in small-scale fisheries emerged.
The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) carried out the
preparation process, including the gathering of case studies and illustrative examples of small-scale fishing communities and government agencies from all over the world, to highlight and interpret the principles and recommendations of the SSF Guidelines in ways that promote gender equality.
An online survey, as well as two regional workshops (one in Costa Rica and one in Senegal), gathered input from people who have worked with the sector for many years from government, civil society organizations (CSOs), research and academia, and regional organizations and Non governmental Organizations (NGOs) to inform the draft prepared by Nilanjana Biswas.
The final draft was reviewed through an Expert workshop on gender-equitable small-scale fisheries in the context of the implementation of the SSF Guidelines, held in Rome on 2628 November 2016, involving researchers, academics, government representatives, and representatives of NGOs and CSOs from various countries.
The SSF Guidelines are the first internationally negotiated document
dedicated specifically to the small-scale fisheries sector. The Guidelines represent a global consensus on principles and guidance for small-scale fisheries governance and development.
Notably, the principles of gender equity and equality are upheld as fundamental guiding principles in the SSF Guidelines. This represents a significant achievement towards women’s empowerment.
At the same time, it also represents an opportunity for governments to meet important goals related to social and economic equity and equality, environmental sustainability, and local food security, including relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
During consultations and capacity development events organized in the context of the SSF Guidelines implementation process, various stakeholders expressed the need for specific gender guidance in support of the application of the Guidelines.
This handbook was developed to
support gender-equitable small-scale fisheries by enhancing the understanding of their gender dimensions, with a focus on the specific role and conditions of women in the small-scale fisheries sector.
The handbook is available online at http://www.fao.org/3/a-i7419e.pdf.
2017 ICSF