The FAO SSF Umbrella Programme, which includes support from Norway and Sweden, is structured around four interrelated components (i) Awareness raising, (ii) Strengthening the science-policy interface, (iii) Empowering stakeholders, and (iv) Supporting implementation. FAO has invested in increasing awareness at global, regional and national levels on the contribution of small-scale fisheries to food security and poverty eradication and in why and how the SSF Guidelines should be applied in small-scale fisheries governance and development. This awareness raising has included the organization of specific meetings and workshops (e.g., a workshop on exploring the human rights-based approach – HRBA – in the context of implementation and monitoring of the SSF Guidelines held in Rome on 24-26 October 2016) as well as engaging in global policy processes through the participation by FAO and small-scale fisheries actors in conferences and events organized by partners. There have also been considerable efforts invested in the development and dissemination of guidance and communication products, including a handbook on gender-equitable small-scale fisheries development and governance. The inclusion of the principles and provisions of the SSF Guidelines in national and regional policies facilitates the actions needed to achieve the full contribution of small-scale fisheries to food security and poverty eradication. FAO is engaged in improving the knowledge available on small-scale fisheries and it also provides technical assistance to support governments and stakeholders in converting the improved knowledge into policies and action. This work includes an update of the 2012 “Hidden Harvest: the global contribution of capture fisheries” study. Mainstreaming of the SSF Guidelines into the strategies, policies and work programmes of regional intergovernmental organizations, reported on at the Committee’s Thirty-second Session in 2016 0F1, has continued to be a key focus. The Commission for Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture of Latin America and the Caribbean (COOPESCAALC), the Central Asian and Caucasus Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Commission (CACFish), and the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) can be added to the list of those with specific work and/or commitments in relation to SSF Guidelines implementation. At the national level, several countries have made important commitments to SSF Guidelines implementation including Cambodia, Costa Rica, Guinea, Sri Lanka and Tanzania. Institutional mechanisms and informed capable stakeholders, especially small-scale fisheries actors and government staff but also other stakeholders, are necessary for participatory implementation of the SSF Guidelines. FAO collaborates in particular with the members of the Fisheries Working Group of the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty (IPC)1F2 through regular consultations with their representatives. With funding from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD https://sites.google.com/site/ssfguidelines/materials-on-ssf-guidelines/vgssf-guidelines-translation), the IPC Fisheries Working Group members have organized a series of national and regional events 2F3 for their members and key partners to discuss the implementation of the SSF Guidelines and to empower their members to take action. There are several initiatives currently being designed by FAO and partners for strengthening small-scale fisheries organizations, including beyond the IPC Fisheries Working Group. This work includes mapping of small-scale fisheries organizations, identifying gaps and assessing capacity development needs. SSF Guidelines implementation benefits from coordination, dissemination of lessons learnt and progress monitoring that also promotes experience sharing. Following the recommendation of the Committee’s Thirty-second Session, the SSF Guidelines Global Strategic Framework (SSF-GSF) has been further developed in consultation with small-scale fisheries actors and was presented to the COFI bureau in 2017. The SSF-GSF is a multi-stakeholder framework and, while not having any formal constitutional or legal standing, it will promote participation of small-scale fisheries actors – in collaboration with government representatives – in the SSF Guidelines implementation. It will have an advisory and facilitative role and its activities will be reported to the Committee. The proposed structure of the SSF-GSF includes an Advisory Group consisting primarily of small-scale fisheries representatives, a Friends of the SSF Guidelines group with COFI Members participating on a voluntary basis, a Knowledge Sharing Platform of other actors and an FAO Secretariat.