Notice : ICSF RESOURCES
Information Updates
ICSF has recently made available new information resources on fisheries and fishing communities, which can be accessed free at the ICSF website
All ICSF (icsf@icsf.net) information resources can be accessed for free at www.icsf.net
ICSF Guidebook: Understanding the Work in Fishing Convention, 2007, now available in Arabic, and also in four Indian languagesTelugu, Marati, Gujarati, Malayalam (see box for links)
This guidebook explains the Work in Fishing Convention, 2007, adopted in Geneva, in June 2007 at the 96th International Labour Conference (ILC) of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
This publication, which is also available in French and Spanish, will be useful for fishworkers, non-governmental organizations, policymakers, trade unions, researchers and others interested, to understand the possible benefits and implications of the Convention for artisanal and small-scale fisheries in developing countries.
MPA Case Studies
Case studies on social dimensions of marine protected area (MPA) implementation were presented at the India MPA workshop, and are now available online. These case studies document and analyze the experiences and views of fishing communities living in, or near, different MPAs in India. They suggest how livelihood concerns can be integrated into MPAs.
The case study titled The Gulf of Kutch National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary focuses on how industrialization has led to pollution and habitat degradation in the area.
Social Dimensions of Sea Turtle Protection in Orissa, India: A Case Study of the Gahirmatha (Marine) Wildlife Sanctuary and the Nesting Beaches of Rushikulya and Debi focuses on the legal framework for sea turtle protection. It documents the social consequences of turtle protection measures on fishing communities, and analyzes their experiences with various aspects of sea turtle protection.
Fishing Community Issues in the Sundarban Tiger Reserve (STR) provides an overview of the legal framework, and design and implementation of fishing regulations, and documents and analyzes the experiences of local fishing communities in the Sundarbans region of West Bengal, India. It explores ways to balance livelihood concerns with conservation.
The proceedings of the India MPA workshop, containing the prospectus, report and the consensus Statement, is also available online. The site has also been updated with news clippings and posters prepared for the workshop.
Statements and Presentations
The Statements page on the ICSF website has recently been updated with statements made by civil society organizations at the 28th session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The Statements were made on the Agenda Item 9 that focused on Securing Sustainable Fisheries: Towards responsible fisheries and social development. Statements were also made on implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF), and on Agenda Item 6 on Decisions and Recommendations of the Fourth Session of the Sub-committee on Aquaculture. These can be accessed online.
Two new presentations made by ICSF staff at different meetings have also been uploaded to the site: (i) Rights-based Management: Role of Fisher Communities in MCS in India, by Sebastian Mathew, made at the GOI/BOBP-IGO National Workshop on Monitoring, Control and Surveillance, December 2008; and (ii) Women in Post-harvest Fisheries: An Asian Situationer, presented by Chandrika Sharma, at the Southeast Asia Conference on Women in Fisheries, December 2008.
SAMUDRA News AlertsComment Feature Activated
A new feature has been introduced in the SAMUDRA News Alerts, by which subscribers can comment on the stories carried in the Daily News Alerts. These comments will be compiled and made available on the ICSF website. Links to the comments will also be provided in the weekly digest.
Legal Website
The international legal instruments resource website of ICSF (legal.icsf.net), has been recently updated with the Optional Protocol for International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESR). In addition, information on ratification and signatories has also been updated for all the binding Conventions. The section on related documents carries information on the latest reports and documents published by the secretariats of these legal instruments.
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