10th anniversary of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines)
2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the endorsement of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines).
The SSF Guidelines are the first international instrument dedicated entirely to the immensely important small-scale fisheries sector. More than 4000 voices from fishers, fish workers and others in over 120 countries have described how they would want to make livelihoods along the small-scale fisheries value chain sustainable for people and the planet. Their recommendations have been summarized into a concise set of principles, namely the SSF Guidelines.
The final text of the SSF Guidelines was negotiated by FAO Members and endorsed by the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in 2014, confirming a strong commitment from both governments and civil society to bring about positive change in small-scale fisheries.
The principles in the SSF Guidelines address policies, strategies and legal frameworks concerning small-scale fisheries, but also other matters affecting lives and livelihoods in fishing communities. The SSF Guidelines are global in scope, and they guide dialogue, policy processes and actions at national, regional and international level, contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Key issues addressed in the SSF Guidelines are:
- securing tenure rights and managing resources responsibly;
- supporting social development and decent work;
- improving value chains from catching through processing to trading fish;
- promoting gender equality; and
- taking into account climate change and disaster risk.
Aware, informed, empowered, capacitated
To achieve the recommendations in the SSF Guidelines, one must know about, understand and apply them. Efforts to implement the SSF Guidelines include: (i) Raising awareness; (ii) Strengthening the science-policy interface; (iii) Empowering stakeholder, and; (iv) Supporting implementation.
It is also important to understand the situation, challenges and opportunities facing small-scale fisheries around the world, and to use this knowledge to inform policies and decisions to support sustainable fisheries and community livelihoods.
Change has to happen at national and local levels. For that, fishers and fish workers need to know their rights and responsibilities and have ways to realize them. Organisations that carry the voice of fishers and fish workers to policy- and decision-makers must be supported and empowered. Likewise, policy- and decision-makers need the tools and capacity to engage with small-scale fishers.
All actors need supporting partnerships and arrangements that makes it easy for them to exchange ideas and concerns, and collaborate to make a difference. There is also a need to measure and keep track of progress.
The implementation of the SSF Guidelines is both challenging and promising. The International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA) in 2022 has shown that actions to raise awareness on the small-scale fisheries subsector can generate positive results. Two countries have already launched National Plans of Action for Small-Scale Fisheries (NPOA-SSF) and other countries have started the process of developing an NPOA-SSF or have demonstrated interest in doing so.
On the SSF Guidelines website you can find more information about the SSF Guidelines, including related projects, tools and resources.
Tell us what you think and do!
Share your experience on the implementation of the SSF Guidelines
This call is an important stock taking opportunity for all and the results are expected to further inform FAO, governments, SSF organizations, NGOs development partners, CSOs, research and other partners initiatives to implement the SSF Guidelines at national, regional or global level.
The FAO SSF Guidelines team invite stakeholders to:
1. |
Share experiences, lessons learned and good practices on the implementation of the SSF Guidelines. |
2. |
Point out gaps, constraints and challenges encountered in raising awareness and implementing the SSF Guidelines. |
3. |
Suggest recommendations for improvements in implementing the SSF Guidelines. |
4. |
Share concrete plans to (further) use and implement the SSF Guidelines. |
5. |
Tell us why the SSF Guidelines are important. |
Your contributions will support celebrations of the 10th anniversary of the SSF Guidelines, for example during the 36th session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries and during the 2024 SSF Summit and inform future implementation.
How to take part in this Call for Submissions:
Submissions can be made in any of the three languages (English, French or Spanish). Please keep the length of submissions limited to 1,000 words. You can download and upload the completed form on this webpage or, alternatively, send it to [email protected].
The Call for Submissions is open until 11 December 2023.
We engage you for an active participation and thank you for sharing your experience!
Co-facilitators:
Nicole Franz, Fishery Officer, Equitable Livelihoods Team Lead, Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, FAO
Mele Tauati, Fishery Officer (Small-Scale Fisheries), Equitable Livelihoods Team, Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, FAO
References:
FAO. 2015. Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication. Rome. https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/I4356EN
FAO. 2021. SSF Guidelines uptake and influence. A pathway to impact. Rome. https://www.fao.org/3/cb7657en/cb7657en.pdf
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. https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/CB0885EN
FAO. 2023. International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 – Final report. Rome. https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en?details=cc5034en
United Republic of Tanzania. 2021. NPOA National Plan of Action For Implementation of Voluntary Guidelines on Securing Sustainable Small- scale fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (NPoA-SSF GUIDELINES). Dodoma, Tanzania. https://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ssf/documents/Tanzania_National_Plan_of_Action_Book.pdf
Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR). 2022. National Plan of Action for small-scale fisheries. 2022-2026. Government of Namibia. https://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ssf/documents/Namibias_National_Plan_of_Action_for_Small_Scale_Fisheries_2022_to_2026.pdf
For learning more about the FAO publications on this topic, please read the article here.
- Read 64 contributions
Dear contributors,
We take this opportunity to sincerely thank all those who have already contributed to the consultation on the 10th anniversary of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines). We really appreciate you have taken the time to share your experiences and recommendations.
We received 42 insightful and sharp contributions, representing different stakeholder groups, including from civil society, research and government. These inputs will allow FAO and others to improve efforts to implement the SSF Guidelines, as your contributions and insights are fundamental to ensuring further legitimacy, quality, and the incorporation of diverse forms of knowledge and expertise in the implementation process.
The information will also inform a special session at the next FAO Committee on Fisheries in July 2024, which will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the SSF Guidelines and is expected to strengthen the will mark the global, regional and national policy convergence process on this theme.
Nicole Franz and Mele Tauati, Fishery Officers from the FAO’s Equitable Livelihoods Team, co-facilitators of this call
SE SOLICITA ATENTAMENTE ACUSAR RECIBO DE LA PRESENTE COMUNICACIÓN.
La Misión Permanente de México ante las Agencias de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas con sede en Roma saluda atentamente a la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura (FAO) -Foro Global sobre Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición-, en relación con la convocatoria sobre el tema “10º Aniversario de las Directrices voluntarias para lograr la sostenibilidad de la pesca en pequeña escala en el contexto de la seguridad alimentaria y la erradicación de la pobreza”.
Al respecto, la Misión Permanente tiene el honor de remitir las respuestas de la Comisión Nacional de Acuacultura y Pesca de México al formulario de la convocatoria en cuestión.
Saludos cordiales,
Dear,
I hope this email finds you well.
If it is still useful find attached a submission on behalf of Community Catch.
Best Regards,
Momo Kochen
Dear FAO's SSF team,
Please find attached EDF's contribution towards the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the SSF Guidelines. We are excited to be part of a global effort working to elevate small-scale fisheries and coastal communities, and committed to make a difference with you all in the next decade.
Sincerely,
Cristina Villanueva on behalf of EDF
Dear FAO's SSF team,
Please find attached the Small-Scale Fisheries Resource & Collaboration Hub (the SSF Hub)'s contribution towards the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the SSF Guidelines.
Congratulations on a decade of hard work in favor of small-scale fisheries and coastal communities around the world!
Respectfully,
Cristina Villanueva on behalf of Partner Organizations of the SSF Hub
Dear SSF team,
On behalf of TBTI Global, please find attached our contribution towards the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the SSF Guidelines.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Kind regards,
Vesna Kerezi
Project Manager | Too Big To Ignore research partnership (TBTI Global)
Project Coordinator | Ocean Frontier Institute, Module I
Memorial University, Canada
Richard Cañarte Mantuano
Estimados FAO,
En atención a lo solicitado mediante correo institucional de fecha registro “Lunes, 4 de Diciembre 2023”, relativo a la “…convocatoria para realizar un balance sobre la aplicación de las Directrices PPE y tener elementos sobre las lecciones aprendidas, las barreras, desafíos y recomendaciones, que permitan orientar las iniciativas de la FAO, los gobiernos, las organizaciones de PPE, las ONG asociadas para el desarrollo, las organizaciones de la sociedad civil, la investigación y otros actores claves a nivel nacional, regional o mundial…”.
Me permito informar que, de conformidad a lo dispuesto y en el marco de las competencias institucionales del MPCEIP, se procedió con el análisis y recopilación de información requerida, la cual se adjunta para su conocimiento y fines pertinentes.
En virtud de lo expuesto se adjunta:
Ley Orgánica para el Desarrollo de la Acuicultura y Pesca LODAP.
Reglamento a la LODAP.
Acuerdo Nro. MAP-SRP-2018-0111-A del 14 junio 2018
Acuerdo Nro. MAP-SRP-2018-0236-A del 8 noviembre 2018
Acuerdo Nro. MPCEIP-SRP-2020-0122-A del 2 octubre 2020
Acuerdo Nro. MPCEIP-SRP-2021-0156-A del 28 junio 2021
Acuerdo Nro. MPCEIP-SRP-2022-0052-A del 25 febrero 2022
Acuerdo Nro. MPCEIP-SRP-2023-0017-A del 17 enero 2023
Saludos cordiales.
Dear Moderation-Team,
please find attached the submission of GIZs Global Progarm for sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture.
Kind regads,
Lukas
FIAN International is an international human rights organization working for the realization of the right to food and nutrition worldwide. We would like to submit our submission focusing on the implementation of the SSF Guidelines in Uganda and globally. Thank you very much.
A quien corresponda, mi nombre Romina Almanza 34 años de edad ,pescadora artesanal de laguna de rocha ,puerto de los botes uruguay desde los 15 años de edsd ...actualmente represento la Asociacion de pescadores artesanales puerto de los botes laguna de rocha, no me queda muy claro cual es el objetivo de esta combocotaria ,pero si entiendo q puedo colaborar con todo lo q sea relacionado a la pesca...resumiendo ,la pesca artesanal de pequeña escala en uruguay esta en vias de extincion nos encontranos desamparados ,abandonados ,toda la vida an mal utilizado el nombre y la figura del pescador artesanal ,obteniendo ganancias los gobernantes y los directores q acomodan al cargo de los pescadores ,hablan en nombre de los y las pescadores, hoy dia me encuentro con responsabilidad y el objetivo personal mas q nada ,de hacer escuchar nuestra voz ,de impulsar la voz de alto ,basta de abuso de poder ,nos an humillado y exlpotado ,en uruguay nadie apoya la pesca artesanal no hay controles ,no hay regulacion , y nadie tiene la intencion de hacerlo , le muestran al pais y al mundo una cara falsa y mentirosa sobre la pesca en nuestro pais para obtener mas beneficios y ganancias en nuestro nombre, en los puertos los grandes empresarios explotan a las personas y las especies con complicidad de los gobiernos y gobernantes ,nos encontramos en constante lucha haciendo nuestro trabajo ,en uruguay la pesca artesanal esta desamparada ,sola ,y en via de extincion....
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