The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) Trust is organizing a National Workshop on “SSF Guidelines and Women in Fisheries” in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, from 8 to 10 April 2022.

The negotiated Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) were endorsed by the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) at its Thirty-first Session in June 2014. The implementation of the SSF Guidelines is identified as a significant step for enhancing the contribution of small-scale fisheries to nutrition and food security.

Gender mainstreaming is integral to the implementation process of the SSF Guidelines. Gender equality and equity are held as one of the seven pillars of the United Nations International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 (IYAFA).

As part of the implementation process, the ICSF Trust workshop hopes to build a platform of women in fisheries to promote gender equality and equity, to recognize livelihood space and to improve the participation of women in decision-making processes.

The Workshop—supported by FAO—is being held at Asha Nivas, Chennai, from 8 to 10 April, 2022. Key women fishworker representatives from the States of Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are expected to attend.