International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA) 2022

Celebrating IYAFA 2022 in the Western Central Atlantic region (WECAFC)

WHAT IS IYAFA 2022?

The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2022 the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022). FAO is the lead agency for celebrating the Year in collaboration with other relevant organizations and bodies of the United Nations system.

Celebrating IYAFA 2022 acknowledges the millions of small-scale fishers, fish farmers and fish workers who provide healthy and nutritious food to billions of people and contribute to achieving Zero Hunger. IYAFA 2022 aims to focus global attention on the role that small-scale fishers, fish farmers and fish workers play in food security and nutrition, poverty eradication and sustainable use of natural resources – thereby increasing world-wide understanding and action to collaboratively support them.

IYAFA 2022 in the WECAFC region

The Western Central Atlantic Region is gearing up to celebrate the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries in 2022! IYAFA 2022 presents a unique opportunity to showcase the progress made in the implementation of the SSF Guidelines in a coordinated way, and gain more visibility and recognition for the WECAFC region’s SSF, small-scale aquaculture (SSA) and key stakeholders, including fisherfolk, fish farmers and their organizations on a global scale. Member States are spearheading the IYAFA 2022 celebrations through engagement with existing Fisheries Advisory Committees or specially established National IYAFA 2022. Member States are spearheading the IYAFA 2022 celebrations through engagement with existing Fisheries Advisory Committees or specially established National IYAFA 2022 Steering Committees, comprising key public and private sector actors, national and local fisherfolk and fish-farmer organizations, civil society and academia.

The overall theme for the WECAFC region is Resilience and Recovery, with cross cutting attention to Gender and Youth, and supported by three sub-themes.

These sub-themes will be accomplished through four (4) main courses of action: advocacy & awareness; knowledge creation & dissemination; policy making; and capacity building & education.

Project reports

Getting involved in IYAFA 2022 Activities

Member States are spearheading the IYAFA 2022 celebrations through engagement with existing Fisheries Advisory Committees or specially established National IYAFA 2022 Steering Committees, comprising key public and private sector actors, national and local fisherfolk and fish-farmer organizations, civil society and academia. Member States and other partners will devise and share their IYAFA 2022 programmes with the WECAFC IYAFA 2022 Coordination Committee. Key activities will be used to populate the WECAFC IYAFA 2022 Regional Roadmap, and will be also reflected on the IYAFA global website events page here: https://www.fao.org/artisanal-fisheries-aquaculture-2022/events/en/. The Committee will seek to strengthen linkages with national, regional and global platforms, highlight key events, share information and communication materials, provide some level of guidance, when required, and resources, as acquired. A regional Call for Champions, official launch of IYAFA 2022 in the WECAFC region, and a dedicated IYAFA 2022 Forum at the upcoming Gulf & Caribbean Fisheries Institute Conference are on the cards for 2021 and potentially 2022.

For more information, visit https://www.fao.org/artisanal-fisheries-aquaculture-2022/en/