{"id":99708,"date":"2022-12-22T16:26:58","date_gmt":"2022-12-22T10:56:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.icsf.net\/?post_type=samudra&p=99708"},"modified":"2022-12-22T16:37:48","modified_gmt":"2022-12-22T11:07:48","slug":"determination-renewed","status":"publish","type":"samudra","link":"https:\/\/www.icsf.net\/samudra\/determination-renewed\/","title":{"rendered":"Determination Renewed"},"content":{"rendered":"
ICSF\u2019s Bangkok workshop was a vibrant start to a series of international events to commemorate the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022)<\/strong><\/p>\n This article is by Sivaja K Nair<\/strong><\/em> (sivaja.icsf@gmail.com), Programme Executive with the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) Trust<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 2017, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly proclaimed that 2022 was going to be observed as the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022). Its lead agency is the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), in collaboration with other stakeholders. A core function of IYAFA is to promote the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines).<\/p>\n In this context, ICSF and its members decided to organize four regional workshops and women\u2019s exchanges in 2022: one each in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe, in partnership with global fishworker bodies and civil society organizations. The first in this series of workshops was the \u2018IYAFA Asia 2022 \u2013 Celebrating Sustainable and Equitable Small-Scale Fisheries\u2019, held in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 5-8, 2022, in collaboration with the Sustainable Development Foundation (SDF).<\/p>\n The main objectives of the Asia workshop were to increase the international engagement of fishworkers\u2019 organizations with issues of food security, tenure rights and social development in small-scale fisheries (SSF) in the region; to deepen cooperation between fishworkers and like-minded organizations in addressing these issues; and to amplify the voices of women in the inclusive development of small-scale fisheries.<\/p>\n This was the first in-person meeting organized by ICSF internationally since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n This was the first in-person meeting organized by ICSF internationally since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following all COVID-19 protocols, ICSF was able to bring in a diverse group of 50 participants from the Asia region. The representation included men and women from fishworker organizations, community-based organizations (CBOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) from 11 countries in the region. They are: Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Special efforts were made to ensure gender parity in representation.<\/p>\n Kick-off<\/strong><\/p>\n The workshop opened with opening remarks from SDF director and ICSF member Ravadee Prasertcharoensuk. She encouraged participants to have deeper conversations on SSF, encompassing themes of livelihood security, human rights, social development and sustainability, to go beyond food security or healthy fish stocks. She stressed the importance of women in fisheries and drew attention to the issues faced by them, particularly the challenges they face in realizing gender equity in the sector.<\/p>\n In his inaugural address, Taworn Thunaji, the Deputy Director General of Thailand\u2019s department of fisheries, emphasized the importance of ensuring sustainable utilization of natural resources for equality and fairness towards SSF, adding that sustainability is the key to ensure livelihood and food security. He elaborated on the aim of the Government of Thailand to bring together multiple stakeholders in its processes, and detailed the government\u2019s efforts to support artisanal fishers and small-scale fish farmers.<\/p>\n
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