55. This agenda item was introduced by the Secretariat on the basis of documents ACFR/V/2004/4, and ACFR/V/2004/Inf.4, Inf.11 and Inf.12.
56. In the first section, the Committee was informed of the results of the ACFR Working Party on Human Capacity Development in Fisheries, which was convened by the Director-General of FAO at FAO headquarters, Rome, from 19 to 22 April 2004. The meeting was chaired by Dr Kwame Koranteng, Vice-Chair of ACFR. In addition to regular programme funds, financial support was provided by FishCode.
57. The definition of human capacity development (HCD), as agreed by the Working Party, was reiterated as "The process by which individuals, groups, organizations, institutions, and societies develop their abilities - both individually and collectively - to set and achieve objectives, perform functions, solve problems and to develop the means and conditions required to enable this process".
58. The Committee was informed that the Working Group had also adopted a Vision Statement to characterise HCD in fisheries, which read as follows: "A society that has the ability, means and conditions to achieve the sustainable development of fisheries, at local to global levels, for the benefit of all and to meet the targets of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) 'Plan of Implementation' as well as the Millennium Development Goals".
59. Whereas past approaches to HCD have tended to focus primarily science, research and development, greater emphasis was now being placed on areas such as the ecosystems approach to fisheries, the sustainable livelihoods approach, poverty assessments, and on issues of governance and wider generic, non-fisheries specific knowledge and skills.
60. A number of key lessons deriving from a review of previous HCD initiatives were identified by the Working Party. It was stressed that HCD interventions must:
be participatory in design, implementation and monitoring;
build on core-capacities and be a two-way process of knowledge transfer;
provide for flexibility to fit with the individual needs of those being assisted;
take greater cognisance of the overall societal/political context in which interventions operate;
be effectively integrated to their regional/geographical, intra-sectoral, inter-sectoral, and vertical linkages;
have appropriate built-in incentives;
be delivered by those who themselves have adequate levels of capacity development.
61. In terms of HCD delivery modalities, the Working Party was of the view that a wide range of mechanisms are available, which can be categorized into (i) face-to-face mechanisms (e.g. classroom-based training, seminars, conferences and workshops, research programmes, exchange programmes, demonstration trials, on-the-job training and mentoring); (ii) remote mechanisms (publications, manuals/training material, radio, distance-based learning, and information and communication technology [ICT] based mechanisms); and (iii) a mixture of the two.
62. The Committee was informed that the Working Party on HCD, on the basis of its deliberations, adopted a Draft Strategic Framework for Human Capacity Development in Fisheries. The key points of the Framework were then summarized, and the Committee's guidance was sought on its utility and application.
63. During ensuing discussion, Committee members congratulated the Secretariat for effectively facilitating the activities of the Working Party on HCD, as well as the compilation and presentation of its outcomes and recommendations.
64. Members of the Committee expressed appreciation for the way the Working Party had conceptualised HCD as an internally driven process that involves multiple levels, embracing individuals within nested and interacting organizational, sector/network, and broader societal contexts. Members also expressed appreciation for the way the HCD Strategic Framework was strongly linked to the outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) and to the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs).
65. The Committee welcomed the fact that, whereas past approaches to HCD have tended to focus more on the development of individual practitioner skills, the processual and holistic approach that informs the Draft Strategic Framework recognizes that individual capacities can only be actualized in a sustained way within broader institutional and societal settings.
66. The Committee expressed the view that, in the past, inadequate attention to the broader setting of human capacity development had sometimes resulted in failed development interventions and these could have been due to timing mismatches between the push and pull factors involved. The Committee pointed out that, if there was a "supply" of individuals with enhanced skills, there had also to be a broader institutional and societal "demand" to foster and sustain them. This further underscored the importance of encouraging broader awareness of the contributions and meaning of the fisheries sector, and of the importance of responsible fisheries principles and practices, amongst policy makers as well as the wider public.
67. In this connection, the Committee was informed of a new project about to be launched through the FishCode Programme, on Training and Awareness for Responsible Fisheries. Project activities, which were designed with reference to the outcomes of the Working Party on HCD in Fisheries, will aim at fisheries policy makers and management practitioners on the one hand, and a larger public audience, including younger people, on the other. Project activities will be further elaborated during the six-month inception phase, at the end of which a conference will be convened in order to mobilise further donor partner support.
68. In addition to expressing their appreciation for the conceptual base of the Draft Strategic Framework, and the fact that it draws heavily on lessons learned, members of the Committee strongly advocated for its application in the context of the FAO Field Programme itself, as well as through linkages with regional fisheries organizations. It was agreed that the Strategic Framework with the suggested changes listed in paragraph 70 should be brought forward as it stands, as the basis upon which workplans can be built, rather than channelling it through the formal and time-consuming policy adoption process involving an FAO Technical Consultation and COFI approval.
69. It was further agreed that it would be appropriate to include reference to the Strategic Framework, as endorsed by the Committee, in the report on progress towards implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries to be presented at the next COFI session in March 2005. The Committee urged that the document should be made available to COFI as an information document in order to create greater awareness and the subject and to further encourage the use of the contents of the Strategic Framework document. Consideration should also be given to organizing a side event at the Twenty-sixth Session of COFI.
70. Finally, the Committee suggested that, in taking the Draft Strategic Framework forward, revisions be made at appropriate points to reflect the concerns of members that:
more direct reference be made to the role of fisher organizations in the human capacity development process;
the human capacity development "lessons learned," as cited by the Working Party, be included directly in the Strategic Framework itself, possibly as a further Appendix;
under the fisheries science and research skills grouping, mention should be made of science-related governance issues, including ethics, objectivity and quality assurance themes; and
under the societal skills grouping, the question of promoting greater awareness and "societal literacy" with respect to the issues involved should be highlighted.
