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Legislating for sustainable small-scale fisheries

A guide and considerations for implementing aspects of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication in national legislation











FAO. 2020. Legislating for Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries – A guide on how to align national fisheries legislation to the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication. Rome.




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    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Linkages between the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries and the Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Progressive Realization of the Right to Adequate Food 2020
    Both the CFS Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Progressive Realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security (Right to Food Guidelines) and the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) hold the realization of the right to adequate food as their main objective. The Right to Food Guidelines emphasizes the role of small-scale producers in several sections and the SSF Guidelines as their first objective call “to enhance the contribution to fisheries to food security and nutrition and support the realization to the right to adequate food”. This brief is part of a series drawing attention to the mutually reinforcing nature of four global normative instruments developed through the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) SSF Guidelines. The four CFS instruments with direct links to the SSF Guidelines are the CFS Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Progressive Realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security (Right to Food Guidelines), the CFS Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT), the CFS Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (CFS-RAI Principles) and the CFS Framework for Action for Food Security and Nutrition in Protracted Crisis (CFS-FFA). Their synergistic implementation can make a difference in enabling small-scale fisheries to contribute to sustainable food systems by providing highly nutritious food for local communities, and it can make a difference for consumers in national, regional, and international markets. The briefs aim at highlighting key commonalities among these CFS instruments and the SSF Guidelines, and provide some illustrative examples to inspire action by all, including by governments, small-scale fisheries organizations or other civil society organizations, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and research and development partners.
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    Book (stand-alone)
    Securing sustainable small-scale fisheries: sharing good practices from around the world
    FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper No. 644
    2019
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    This document includes eight studies showcasing good practices in support of sustainable small-scale fisheries. FAO commissioned these studies aiming to share experiences and promote the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines). The case studies were also intended to promote participatory approaches – in line with the SSF Guidelines principles – and to promote increased interaction between research and fishing communities, including the use of traditional knowledge and participatory research. It is hoped that the case studies will inform policy and policy processes and, in this way, promote sustainable small-scale fisheries according to the SSF Guidelines and the human rights-based approach to development (HRBA). The case studies constitute a rich selection of experiences and are diverse, not only with regard to their geographical setting but also in scope and approach. They span from looking at one specific tool for sharing experiences (the fisheries learning exchanges methodology in Madagascar and Mozambique) or examining the enabling environment in a specific thematic area (disaster risks in Bangladesh), to regional policy formulation on small-scale fisheries (the SSF Guidelines protocol for Caribbean policies) and reflection on how to use the SSF Guidelines in participatory processes (the Myanmar step-by-step approach to discussions with small-scale fisheries communities). A few of the papers look at co-management, in some cases combining fisheries management and social development (Senegal, Uruguay and Nepal), with one focusing on the role of small-scale fisheries and community organizations (India). Generally, the case studies refer to HRBA but, perhaps because many of the activities have taken place in the past, it seems that HRBA has rarely been consciously and explicitly implemented. Still, the case studies bear witness to a number of experiences and practices that are clearly steps in the right direction. Key good practices emerging from the studies refer to, among other things, holistic approaches to co-management and social responsibility; broad engagement, inclusiveness and partnerships; the power of communication; and gender equality and the role of women. As more experience is gained, our knowledge of how to go about implementing the SSF Guidelines will improve and nurture new and continued initiatives. For the present and the future, efforts should be made to apply HRBA, while continuing to share experiences and good practices showing how to do so when implementing the SSF Guidelines.
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    Book (stand-alone)
    A policy and legal diagnostic tool for sustainable small-scale fisheries
    In support of the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication
    2022
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    This diagnostic tool advances the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) through policy and legal frameworks. It is a key tool for use by any actor, including small-scale fishers, who is interested in contributing to the SSF Guidelines operationalization at the national level. By using this tool, users are able to recognize the national policy and legal instruments that are relevant to small-scale fisheries in a country, consistent with the SSF Guidelines. Users are also able to: assess policy coherence for SSF; assess the alignment of national fisheries policy and legal instruments with the SSF Guidelines; identify gaps and strengths in these instruments; and further propose recommendations for improving the existing national policy and legal framework according with the SSF Guidelines.

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