ICSF News

Two new pages, likely to be of interest to Yemaya readers, have recently been put up on the ICSF website (http://www.icsf.net)

In early July this year, ICSF organized a workshop prior to its General Body Meeting, in Fortaleza, Brazil. About 60 participants from 18 countries of Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe ICSF Members, representatives of fishworker organizations (FWOs) and organizations working to support small-scale fisheriesparticipated in the workshop, titled “Emerging Concerns of Fishing Communities: Issues of Labour, Trade, Gender, Disaster Preparedness, Biodiversity and Responsible Fisheries. The presentations made at the workshop and a summary report are available at http://www.icsf.net/jsp/conference/GB2006. The presentation by Cornelie Quist, a member of ICSF, on “Fisherwomen’s Movement in Europe: Achievements and Challenges, would be of special interest to Yemaya readers. It is available at http://www.icsf.net/jsp/conference/GB2006/prez/day3/cornelie.ppt.

Another web page that has just been launched is on international legal instruments relevant to fisheries and fishing communities (http://legal.icsf.net/icsflegal/home.jsp). This provides detailed information for a wide range of instruments relevant to fisheries and fishworkers. It covers 124 legal instruments, categorized into the following seven themes: Human Rights, Food Security, Women and Development; Environment and Sustainable Development; Oceans and Fisheries Management; Environmental Pollution; Fishing Vessels and Safety at Sea; Labour; and Trade. Apart from providing the workings of the instruments, the relevance of each instrument to fisheries/small-scale fisheries/fishworkers is also provided. The information on this web page could be useful for fishworker and other organizations in their struggle for an equitable and sustainable fishery. The accompanying Handbook on “International Legal Instruments Relevant to Fisheries and Fishing Communities can be obtained from the ICSF Secretariat (icsf@icsf.net).