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This document was prepared within the framework of the FAO’s Strategic Objective 1 (SO1): Help eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition. This document served as a background paper to present the status of policy mainstreaming and policy research for the improvement of policy development in aquaculture in support of food security, nutrition and poverty eradication. The document was presented in various African fora and received the validation of the stakeholders for its publication as part of policy research. Specifically, the paper was presented and included the inputs from the Consultative Meeting on Aquaculture Policy Development in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 3 [...]

The 2020 edition of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture has a particular focus on sustainability. This reflects a number of specific considerations. First, 2020 marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (the Code). Second, several Sustainable Development Goal indicators mature in 2020. Third, FAO hosted the International Symposium on Fisheries Sustainability in late 2019, and fourth, 2020 sees the finalization of specific FAO guidelines on sustainable aquaculture growth, and on social sustainability along value chains.While Part 1 retains the format of previous editions, the structure of the rest of the publication has been [...]

The International Symposium on Fisheries Sustainability: strengthening the science-policy nexus was held to support the development of a new vision for more sustainable and socially just fisheries, and more resilient to the challenges of the twenty-first century. The event managed to gather an incredibly diverse group of participants from different sectors and regions around the world. Moreover, a set of recommendations emerged from the sessions’ discussions, that will help improve the sustainability of capture fisheries and progress towards the different targets and objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The full range of activities required to deliver fish and fish products from production to the final consumer is subject to indirect impacts of the pandemic through new sanitary measures, changing consumer demands, market access or logistical problems related to transportation and border restrictions. This in turn has a damaging effect on fishers and fish farmers’ livelihoods, as well as on food security and nutrition for populations that rely heavily on fish for animal protein and essential micronutrients. This policy brief reviews on going challenges and proposes measures to protect production and income of the sector and the most vulnerable, as [...]

FAO is custodian agency for several SDG indicators, including SDG target 14.b that aims to “Provide access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets”. The related indicator is SDG Indicator 14.b.1, “Progress by countries in adopting and implementing a legal/regulatory/policy/institutional framework which recognizes and protects access rights for small-scale fisheries”. The 32nd Session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) agreed that the data submitted as a result of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF) survey could be applied by member states as a means to report on the SDG indicators. For SDG Indicator 14.b.1, specifically, variables [...]

We, Indigenous  peoples of the Arctic,from  three  of  the  seven  socio-cultural  regions -the  Arctic,  North America  and  Russia -representing the  Inuit, Saami, Sakha, Itelmen, Yukaghir,  Ulchi,  Evenki,Golganand Chickaloonpeoples, have travelled from Finland, Greenland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and USA to meet in Rome on the 23rdand 24thSeptember 2019 at the headquarters of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Prompted by the urgent need to address current threats and challenges facing the Arctic, its peoples and natural resources, we have gathered to share our perspectives and knowledge with researchers, FAO and Government officials from the region.

For centuries, fishing has been an activity of great importance for indigenous peoples. They inhabit and relate to water ecosystems, which conserve their cultural heritage, food sovereignty (the right to access healthy and culturally appropriate food) and in many cases are a main source of income. In Central America the situation is not different: today indigenous peoples live in more than 75% of the marine-coastal zones of the Caribbean Sea and extensive areas adjacent to continental waters and the Pacific Ocean, and have in fishing their main incomes. Precisely these areas present the highest indicators of poverty and malnutrition in [...]

The aim of this document is to make policy-relevant suggestions related to the following questions: 1) How can vulnerable fisher-farmers' access to social protection be enhanced; and 2) What potential exists for social protection and fishery-related policies, institutions, mechanisms and programs to mutually reinforce poverty reduction and incentivize conservation and sustainable use of fisheries and related natural resources.

With increased international climate finance for adaptation, and the emergence of national adaptation plans and adaptation projects, there is a greater focus on the economic appraisal of adaptation. Economic appraisal is standard practice in public sector investment decisions in many countries, as well as in international development finance and overseas development assistance. It provides support to decision makers to help ensure the appropriate use of public finance, and to assess alternative options available for meeting objectives, by assessing costs, benefits and performance against other decision criteria. This publication reviews available information on the costs and benefits of climate change adaptation [...]

Marine and inland fisheries provide millions of people around the globe with food security and livelihood opportunities. Advancing knowledge on how the world’s marine and inland capture fisheries are accessed, used, and managed using various types of rights-based approaches (RBAs) is a crucial step towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and attaining food and nutrition security and livelihood benefits. The Global Conference on Tenure and User Rights in Fisheries 2018 created a neutral platform for a wide variety of participants, including government officials; fishers from industrial, small-scale and indigenous/traditional communities; fisheries-related stakeholders; nongovernment organizations (NGOs); civil society organizations (CSOs); intergovernmental organizations [...]