The SSF Guidelines are an instrument dedicated to small-scale fisheries sector, which is often overlooked and marginalized. The SSF Guidelines represent a multinational consensus on principles and guidance for the governance and development of smallscale fisheries. Their development came about with the aid of representatives from various small-scale fisheries stakeholders and organizations from around the world, particularly civil society organizations, through a process facilitated by FAO. The SSF Guidelines are intended to guide and encourage everyone associated with the sector to work together, to help promote secure and sustainable small-scale fisheries for the benefit of the fishers, their communities, and society as a whole.