المنتدى العالمي المعني بالأمن الغذائي والتغذية

1. Partnering for implementation

The implementation of the SSF Guidelines will require engagement and partnerships across different institutions, organizations and actors as the SSF Guidelines implementation does not only require the involvement by fishers but takes into consideration also the role and needs of those around them. Fishing communities, CSOs, academia, NGOs, governments, regional organizations, donors and international agencies and organizations all need to work together - but different actors may have different roles to play to address issues in relation to fisheries governance, gender, post-harvest, consumer interests, wider societal interests, etc. Please share any experiences, both good or bad as well as lessons learned related to partnerships in the implementation of international instruments

• How do you see the role of your organization and others in the implementation of the SSF Guidelines?

Regional organization( eg. SPC in the Pacific region) could play a key role in dissemination of information on the guidelines, communicating to counterparts working in Fisheries Departments in governments in countries and sharing experiences across countries to assist in the progress of SSF guidelines. SPC through its Human Development program work with Women NGOs, youth groups and many other non- government partners on the ground thus the organization through work in other sectors can facilitate process of introduction of  SSF guidelines to communities. The work need collaboration work at all levels and these include stakeholders working in the various areas of governance, tradition and cultures, gender, socio-economics, business and marketing, & post harvesting and building youth interest. Climate change and DRR and DRM work is being extensively done in countries in the Pacific and there is the opportunity to also work with other existing programs and projects where there is overlapping interests and concerns over SSF. These sort of partnership could be with other regional organizations involved in Climate change and DRR/DRM work  or could be at country level where there are major projects already being implemented.

• How can partnerships be fostered and strengthened to include the ‘voices of the marginalized?

To ensure the full and practical engagement of marginalized people,  community- based associations/ groups eg women’s groups, youth groups, leaders, fishers, sellers and the elderly should be specifically targeted. Most communities have institutions already in place and most of these existing institutions are based on traditional/customary linkages, faith based mechanisms that are practical and work for the people. People are familiar with them, are used to the norms expected from such mechanisms and institutions and these could include market networks, fisheries groups, provincial organisations/etc.  Networks that people already use should be starting points to maximize participation of the marginalized. The main point in this- is to work within already existing institutions, networks and mechanisms and build on strengths of these groupings and modify or change what is not working.

• What will be required at local, national, regional and global levels to ensure effective and efficient partnerships?

To ensure efficient and effective partnership there is need for :

1. Transparency at all levels of operation of the partnership- sometimes we take community people for granted and grassrooots organisations, assuming they cannot contribute meaningfully to partnership arrangements- unless they become part of the partnership in planning and development of how these partnership will work then it will not work.
2. Specific training and awareness work on what SSF is about and what are the expectations from partners. Training to include legal and traditional rights, access and ownership issues, markets and distribution, regulations and partnerships relating to the operations of the partnerships.
3. There need to be a concerted effort at ensuring gender equity in all these work. Gender inclusion in all aspects of the work and partnership will ensure that men and women and all sectors of the community and fisheries sector are addressed.
4. At the Regional level- there is need to forge partnership with other sectors- eg climate change, forestry, business sector, private sectors at regional level At national level all Line ministries and departments should work collaboratively on SSF as this is an area of overlap in Climate change, DRM and DRR and in Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture work.  Non- government organisations also operate at national and regional level and they should be partners in regional and national work.

1. Information and communication – promoting experience sharing and collaboration

Continuous learning and sharing of experiences will be of utmost importance for effective implementation. Available lessons learnt, best practices and tools should be used and reinventing the wheel avoided, but at the same time the local context may differ to such a degree that specific tools and solutions must be developed. Monitoring of progress will be important to keep track of what is working (and what is not) and participatory monitoring and evaluation systems and relevant statistics can help making information available and shared.

• What best practices with regard to communication would you recommend for SSF Guidelines implementation at local, national, regional and global level?

      At the regional level ( Pacific) effective dissemination and training tools for Regional and national purposes to be developed. At the national level tools and training materials should be in different languages- the main languages in countries.

Participatory monitoring and evaluation will be very important at the local and national level and this is to include the training of women, men, youths, leaders, elders and representatives of various sectors and groups in countries and communities. Having men and women both trained for monitoring and evaluation is important as there are various areas of expertise and knowledge where women and men can work better in. This will include training of a core set of trainers for Regional training and practices, who then train national representatives who disseminate the training at national and local level. The involvement of local people in monitoring can also help highlight best practices and lessons learnt.

Lessons learnt and best practices learnt at local and national level can be used to develop a wider set of indicators for monitoring regional benchmarks and identify best practices can be built up to serve as study areas and research sites- or models to be used in other countries- and used for Regional and global models when used or replicated more widely.

• What are your experiences from participatory monitoring and evaluation?

Participatory monitoring and evaluation is one of the best forms of evaluation as it allows the people to take stock of what they had done, how they had contributed, what additional value has been added to the project or resources. It also helped local monitors and evaluaters to understand and know the project better, understand resources, systems and institutions and to understand the whole purpose of work being done and they become more appreciative of such work and are able to take a look inside as opposed to looking at what did not work from the outside. It helps build confidence in local communities to take ownership and responsibility of resources.

• How can progress in implementing the SSF Guidelines be measured and reported in a useful way?

This can be done through existing networks of practitioners already in existence in the region and in countries. This means there is investment into training of the SSF guidelines and what it is trying to achieve so the people are familiar with what they are measuring. Use existing NGOs and non- government entities already working in countries to assist in monitoring. Reports and updates to be shared between countries and regionally so that best practices are shared and lessons learnt addressed.

1. Challenges and opportunities – needs for support and interventions

There will be implementation challenges (e.g. financial, political, institutional, cultural) to address but also opportunities to capitalize on. These may vary from one context to another and also differ between the global, regional, national and local levels. Understanding these challenges and opportunities will be important for identifying and designing support activities. The implementation of the SSF Guidelines will need a mix of different types of interventions, including – but not necessarily limited to – the strengthening of political commitment and awareness raising, changes in policies, revisions of legislation and/or regulations, development of capacity and empowerment, improving and sharing information, and strengthened research and communication.

• What do you think the main implementation challenges are, generally as well as in a specific country context, and how could they be overcome?

Finding the entry points and early engagement of possible partners before the work starts. This is for awareness raising, legislative revisions, information and communication work. ( sometimes we already have people or groups in mind that we want to work with  or are comfortable working with and do not work outside of the box to find out what else and who else is there? Looking outside and always taking into account smaller groups may also be useful.

For strengthening of political commitment, community awareness, capacity development/etc- challenge including finding the right partners to work with and what their interests are in the whole project. Partners should be transparent and should have similar commitments to the work on SSF.

Finding good and committed local partners who are culturally aware and at the same time inclusive in understanding of the various requirements of SSF.

Drawing the balance between subsistence and economic emphasis in the use of resources in the SSF and identifying the gaps from both viewpoints – that of the social cultural and economic and marketing viewpoint.

Understanding cultural values and norms related to SSF and working through that understanding to win people’s support and to maintain long- term sustainability.

Balancing and working with resource owners, managers and marketers and investors is a challenge. In most situations these two sets of stakeholders are at opposing ends of the discussion- thus finding a middle ground where both work together is necessary. The private sector, businesses and markets have to be part of any discussion on SSF.

For capacity development – ensuring gender equity in all these type of work remain a challenge. Cultural, social and other factors complicate already existing biases against women, young people, migrant populations, etc. Thus a systematic, concerted effort at making sure gender bias is addressed  from the start is important.

• What are your experiences of addressing these types of challenges and what have been successful or unsuccessful strategies and approaches?

Experiences in Fiji and other countries in the Pacific- is that all these takes and requires time- approaches and time frames cannot be pushed to meet the agenda of the external partners and expectations are to be that of the people – not of the development partners. People may not come out clearly with what their priorities are and how they do things but they have a wealth of knowledge that is crucial for the success of such ventures thus having their support is vital.

All approaches should be gender sensitive to ensure gender participation especially in countries where women are not necessarily part of decision making and are not expected to be vocal or seen.

Women are increasingly involved in projects and development ventures in countries, the measures of success and work have changed, women are more educated and vocal- there are more entry points now for women involvement than in the past.

• How would interventions vary, depending on the time frame (e.g. what can be done within the next 12 months, in the next 5 years, in the long term) and depending on the existing resources (e.g. small/medium investments or large/transformative investments)?
• In the next 12 months focus should be on identifying entry points, recruiting& strengthening  partners, training and awareness raising. This is to develop a pool of trainers- who can then take the work forward.
• The next 12 months should also have a focus on the marketing and investment market and identifying trends and patterns in distribution, post harvest and marketing.
• The following 12 months to focus on bringing the two together- ( above bullet points)
• Long- term interventions can be country tailored and region specific – however keeping in mind a regional perspective and regional monitoring mechanisms.