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OUR WORK

SSF Guidelines

Small-scale and artisanal fisheries contribute about half of global fish catches and employ millions of people. They are often rooted in local communities, providing food security and nutrition, reducing poverty. At a time of great environmental crises, small-scale fisheries provide hope. Yet their interests and contributions are often overlooked.

This gap was finally filled in 2014 in a watershed moment: the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) endorsed the ‘Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication’ (SSF Guidelines). It is the only international instrument dedicated to small-scale fisheries. This set of guidelines directs policy, from the local to the international levels, to support and promote the sub-sector.

The SSF Guidelines provide representation to the marginalized. For their secure tenure over fishing resources and space; for decent conditions of work; for the social development of fishing communities; gender equity and equality; for balancing universal human rights while respecting local conditions and traditions.

It resulted from a long-drawn democratic campaign. In the 1980s, small groups of fishers began voicing their concerns about the social and environmental crisis caused by industrial fishing across developing countries. They began collaborating. ICSF resulted from such partnerships.

The Rio declaration of 1992 had recognized the rights of traditional fishers and their contributions. In 1995 FAO adopted the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF). It recognized the contributions of artisanal fisheries, recommending their preferential access to fishing resources. FAO organized its first global conference of small-scale fisheries in Thailand in 2008.

Thereafter, several workshops hosted over 4,000 participants from 120 nations. In 2011, FAO’s Committee on Fisheries (COFI) recommended an international legal instrument to safeguard the rights of small-scale, artisanal fishers. The next two years were a participatory effort to create a consensus and agree on a final text. The SSF Guidelines were endorsed in June, 2014. The challenge now is for all stakeholders to implement the SSF Guidelines.

For more information, visit https://sites.google.com/site/ssfguidelines/home and https://sites.google.com/site/smallscalefisheries/

Current Programmes

IYAFA Regional workshop: Getting the story straight and envisioning a fair future for small-scale fisheries in Europe, 13-16 November 2023, Galicia, Spain

Vilanova de Arousa in Galicia, Spain, will host the ‘IYAFA Regional workshop: Getting the story straight and envisioning a fair future for small-scale fisheries in Europe’ on November 13-16. Its key themes include: 1. Creating a positive narrative of small-scale fisheries (SSF) in Europe. 2. Strengthening governance transition and related processes. 3. Strengthening capacities of SSF and support organizations and building alliances. 4. Women’s role in fisheries in the region. The workshop will highlight that the attention to SSF, along with their crucial role as food producers globally, should continue beyond IYAFA 2022. The workshop will include 45 participants from national and regional SSF organizations, networks of women working in fisheries, NGOs and academic institutions from eighteen countries across Europe. For more details, please visit: https://www.icsf.net/resources/europe-workshop-iyafa-2023/

Africa Workshop: IYAFA 2022-Celebrating Sustainable and Equitable Small-scale Fisheries, 15-18 February 2023

The Africa workshop will be held in Accra, Ghana from 15 to 18 February 2023. The overall goal of the workshop is to strengthen the recognition of small-scale fisheries’ crucial contributions to global food security and nutrition, the importance of access rights in the sector, social development and gender equality. The workshop is also an opportunity to take stock of how the SSF Guidelines are being implemented in Africa to eradicate poverty, ensure food security and nutrition, and promote the tenure rights of small-scale fishing communities. The workshop will include 40 participants from community-based organizations, national and international fishworker organizations, networks of women in fisheries, and civil society organizations from across Africa. For more details, please visit: https://www.icsf.net/resources/africa-workshop-iyafa-2023/

Resources

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The Near East and North Africa – Better Understanding Needed

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he Near East and North Africa Regional Consultation on SSF Guidelines focused on raising awareness and support for implementation of the guidelines.

East Africa – Towards Blue Growth

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The workshop acknowledged the comprehensiveness of the SSF Guidelines as well as the need to take a holistic and human-rights-based approach to small-scale fi sheries governance and development.

Looking Ahead: Implementation of the FAO SSF Guidelines, through appropriate legislation, would go a long way to help shore up the livelihoods of the small-scale fisherfolk of Pakistan

The National Workshop on Capacity-building for the Implementation of the SSF Guidelines, held in Karachi, was the first in a series in Pakistan as part of the efforts to mobilize...

Proceedings of the Mekong Region Workshop on the Implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication, 30 April – 1 May 2016, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand

This workshop report is divided into three parts. The first is a synthesis of the main issues presented and discussed during the two day workshop. The second is an outline...

The Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines: Global Implementation

This book contains in-depth case studies where authors discuss the extent to which the Guidelines can help improve the realities of small-scale fishing men and women globally and make their...

KATOSI Documentary on SSF Guidelines

This video is part of the effort to disseminate information on the SSF Guidelines by World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP), World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fish Workers (WFF),...

Costa Rica: Implementando las Directrices de pesca de pequeña escala en su eje de género Intercambio de mujer

Fisherwomen have been historically invisible in Costa Rica despite playing a very important part in fishing and processing the product. This is why the country starts a process to strengthen...

Towards the implementation of the SSF Guidelines in Eastern Africa. Proceedings of the East Africa Consultation Workshop on Improving Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication. 15−18 September 2015. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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This document provides a summary of the presentations, discussions, conclusions and recommendations of the workshop. The overall objective of the workshop was to facilitate an understanding of the principles of...