The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in cooperation with the government of Oman, is organizing a workshop on the development of international guidelines for securing sustainable small-scale fisheries on March 26-28 in Oman.

Based on guidance provided by a number of global and regional conferences and stakeholder meetings exploring how to better bring together responsible fisheries and social development in coastal and inland fishing communities, the 29th Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) held in February 2011 recommended that an international instrument in the form of guidelines be developed to complement the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. These Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries will be developed through a consultative process involving governments, regional organisations, civil society organisations, and small-scale fishers, fish workers and their communities.

Hence, the workshop organized by FAO and which will be held under the title Near East and North Africa Regional Consultation Workshop on the Development of Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries, comes within the framework of supporting a number of activities in different countries and regions that will provide important inputs into the guidelines development process and the design of the final instrument.