This article summarizes how small-scale fisheries and the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication.

FAO and ILO organized a two-day workshop to update their Guidance on addressing child labour in fisheries and aquaculture, a key, comprehensive document designed to provide policymakers, fisher organizations, sectoral institutions, and the private sector with recommendations and practical solutions to combat child labour in the sector. 

For one day and a half, experts from government authorities, FAO, the International Labour Organization (ILO), regional intergovernmental organizations, and a range of non-state actors (workers’ organizations, employers’ organizations, small-scale fishers’ organizations, non-governmental organizations, and academia)  discussed and deepened the understanding of international and regional standards for decent work in marine fisheries, fostered collaboration among agencies, and exchanged country experiences on that topic.

Welcome to the third issue of the SocPro4Fish Updates for this year! In this edition, we are going to focus on social protections, a tool for economic inclusion in the fisheries and aquaculture sector. Economic inclusion is at the forefront of the social protection agenda, and a concept increasingly recognized and developed by policymakers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and development partners at large.

Welcome to this new edition of the SocPro4Fish Updates! This is a special issue as it marks the end of our project. We will highlight the major achievements and key takeaways from our initiatives. We aim to maintain this newsletter as a platform for knowledge sharing on our favorite topic and continue advocating for more adaptive and inclusive social protection for the fisheries sector.

This event provided a platform to reflect on the achievements, challenges and lessons learned of the SocPro4Fish project and explored future directions for social protection in the fishing sector. 

On Friday 12 July, FAO and the World Bank, in collaboration with the Governments of Brazil and Kenya, organized a session at the FAO Headquarters in Rome in the COFI Speaker’s Corner entitled “Social protection for small-scale fisheries: protecting people, fish and food”. 

The Inter-institutional Technical Committee on Social Protection in the Fishing Sector in Tunisia held a meeting on Tuesday, 26 of March. The session brought together the FAO’s SocPro4Fish team and key Tunisian institutions, the General Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture (DGPAq), the General Directorate for Investment Financing and Professional Organizations (DGFIOP), the Agricultural Extension and Training Agency (AVFA) and the Tunisian Union of Agriculture and Fisheries (UTAP). 

The workshop aimed to explore the integration of social and economic dimensions into fishery management and policy decisions. 

Improving coherence between social protection and fisheries policies is a starting point to ensure that fishers’ needs are met, and vulnerabilities are accounted for. FAO recently published a framework guided by the SSF Guidelines to identify ways to make social protection and fisheries policies coherent. 

Among the decisions made at the last Climate change summit (COP28), was the establishment of the new Loss and Damage Fund, designed to assist countries most vulnerable to climate change. We talked to our guests about the structure of this new fund and the possibilities for countries to draw on such climate financing mechanisms to build and enhance their social protection systems.

This event is designed to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) to advance priority actions for sustainable small-scale fisheries and to assess the current status of the SSF Guidelines implementation at the national, regional and global level to inform future actions. 

Small-scale fisheries are essential for global livelihoods but face challenges such as poverty, overfishing, and climate change. Social protection helps through assistance, insurance, and labor market interventions, but access is often limited, especially for women. The FAO's SocPro4Fish project supports the expansion of social protection. Key achievements include supporting unemployment benefits during closed seasons, creating a global social protection database, building capacity in over 50 countries, and fostering cooperation. Social protection is essential for an inclusive Blue Transformation that leaves no one behind.

In this edition of the SocPro4Fish Updates, we bring you an enriching collection of reading materials and captivating podcasts that delve into the fascinating world of Social Protection in the Fisheries sector. 

In this heartwarming tale, meet Sandra Gómez Montaño, a dedicated 55-year-old fish processor, and the inspiring Platoneras, Afro-Colombian women vendors, who play a crucial role in providing essential nutrition for local families.

Meet Abdessalem, Taher, and Marbouka, fishers from Tunisia. Through their voices, discover their work, challenges, and the obstacles they face in accessing social protection. Find out more about FAO's social protection initiative for the fisheries and aquaculture sector (socPro4Fish) in Tunisia. 

On Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in Tunis, the FAO, alongside the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources and Fisheries, the Tunisian government, and CRES, organized a workshop on the social protection of small-scale fishers. This event was the culmination of a socio-economic survey aimed at gaining a better understanding of the challenges faced by fishers in Tunisia. Funded by NORAD, the project aimed to improve the welfare of those working in the fisheries sector, recognizing the importance of inclusive social protection systems. 

At the recent Fish Forum 2024 in Antalya, Turkey, experts gathered to discuss how to improve support for fishers. The workshop, organized by FAO's SocPro4Fish project, the FAO General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), aimed to evaluate the current social support systems and find ways to make sure they reach everyone who needs them. 

Second issue of the SocPro4Fish Updates for this year! In this edition, we are excited to bring you highlights from the recent workshop held in Brazil, a collaborative effort between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Brazilian government.

In this last edition of the year of the SocPro4Fish’s updates, we'll explore key takeaways and achievements of 2023. Delve into interesting papers, initiatives, blogs, podcasts, stories, webinars, and courses that have marked the highlights of this year.