Protecting the safety and wellbeing of marine fishers through the law
A "Technical Workshop on International Standards for Decent Work in Fisheries", was held at FAO HQ in Rome between 25 - 26 September, with the financial support of the EAF-Nansen Programme and the Common Oceans Programme.
This initiative aligns with FAO’s commitment to ensure decent work conditions in fisheries, as outlined in its Roadmap for Blue Transformation and the COFI 2021 Declaration for Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture. The workshop contributed inputs for the upcoming FAO study on recent developments, trends, and practices of States in advancing the decent work agenda in marine fisheries and persisting challenges, potential solutions and opportunities for enhancing decent work in marine fisheries. Once published, the study will inform guidance material for national fisheries agencies on the implementation of FAO, ILO and IMO instruments governing fishers and workers in the seafood industry throughout the supply chain, as requested by the 5th FAO/ILO/IMO ad hoc Joint Working Group on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing and related matters held in January 2024.
The FAO Development Law Service and other FAO colleagues welcomed participants from government authorities, the International Labour Organization (ILO), regional intergovernmental organizations, workers’ organizations, employers’ organizations, small-scale fishers’ organizations, non-governmental organizations, and academia. Topics covered were Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines, the ecosystem approach to fisheries, collective bargaining agreements, labor inspection on fishing vessels, the role of technology in detecting forced labor and abuses in fisheries, and inter-agency coordination to strengthen Port State Measures against IUU fishing and related issues.
For more information, please contact [email protected]