The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF), with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), will be conducting a session at the Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF) Summit 2022, in Rome between 11:00 Hrs and 12. 30 Hrs CET on 3 September 2022.
The SSF Summit represents a true opportunity to promote dialogue between small-scale fishers and fishworkers, key partners and decisionmakers ahead of the 35th Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) that will take place during5-9 September, Rome, Italy.
This dialogue will discuss and support implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (the SSF Guidelines).
An FAO-ICSF project, between July 2018 and March 2020, focused on implementing the SSF Guidelines in nine countries (Brazil, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam), in the context of national marine and inland fisheries policies, legislation and programmes.
The dialogue will focus on the results of the project, identify key issues, and discuss challenges facing small-scale fishing communities from a human-rights-based approach. The presenters will include Sebastian Mathew, V Venugopal, Elyse Mills and Sivaja Nair from ICSF, and Nicole Franz and Lena Westlund from the FAO. Discussions will be based on the need to develop effective mechanisms, processes and institutions of relevance to small-scale artisanal fisheries.
A parallel session will focus on the implementation of the SSF Guidelines and discuss regional plans of action between 5:30 Hrs and 7. 30 Hrs CET on 3 September 2022. Led by Sebastian Mathew, Executive Director, ICSF, the workshop will discuss the implementation of the SSF Guidelines in Asia, Africa and Latin America. This is particularly within the framework of human rights and tenure rights.
The parallel session will focus on the key issues, obstacles and challenges faced in protecting the human rights of fishers and fishing communities, and in defending the tenure rights of small-scale fishers and fishing communities. A special focus will be on the impact of the Blue Economy on the small-scale subsector. The impact of climate change will be another key part of the discussions. The parallel session will also look into the challenges faced by women in fisheries regarding access to resources, markets and participation in decision-making processes. The role of fisheries organizations (associations and co-operatives), decentralization/devolution of fisheries governance, and the importance of decent work will be examined. Group discussions will explore how regional plans of action, or regional frameworks for national plans of action, can enhance the implementation of the SSF Guidelines.