In the the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022), as part of its efforts to strengthen the recognition of small-scale fisheries’ crucial contributions to global food security and nutrition, to highlight the importance of tenure rights in the sector, and to focus on social development, the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) is organizing four regional workshops and women’s exchanges in 2022 in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe in partnership with fishworker organizations.
The first of these, The Asia Workshop, is being inaugurated today (Thursday, 5th May 2022) in Bangkok, Thailand. It brings together 58 participants from 11 countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. They represent diverse fishworker organizations, NGOs and researchers, co-operatives and community organizations, including women’s solidarity groups.
The Workshop was inaugurated by Dr Tawom Thunaji, Deputy Director General, Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Governmant of Thailand. Also present at the inaugural session were: Ravadee Prasertcharoensuk, Director, Sustainable Development Foundation, Thailand and Member, ICSF; Dr Taworn Thunaji, Deputy Director General, Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Government of Thailand; Me Priya Yamthet, Chairperson, Thailand Association of the Federation of Fisherfolk; and Panitnard Weerawat, Senior Instructor, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), in the presence of ICSF Chair, Maarten Bavinck.
The Workshop is being organized in the backdrop of the United Nations General Assembly proclaiming 2022 as the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022), with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as the lead agency. The Workshop provides an opportunity to further reiterate the objectives, and promote the implementation, of the Smallscale Fisheries Guidelines (SSF Guidelines).
The Workshop is an opportunity to take stock of how the SSF Guidelines are being implemented in Asia to eradicate poverty, ensure food security and nutrition, and promote the tenure rights of small-scale fishing communities.
All resources for the workshop, including the programme, daily newsletter (SAMUDRA for IYAFA 2022), publications and multimedia are available on the ICSF website: https://demo2.icsf.net/
The daily newsletter, SAMUDRA for IYAFA 2022, features programme updates, interviews with participants, and short articles on SSF in the region.
https://demo2.icsf.net/wp-