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This policy brief was developed in order to enable a meaningful engagement and policy dialogue with government institutions and other relevant stakeholders about challenges and opportunities related to recognizing and protecting customary tenure in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. It aims at strengthening the recognition and legal protection of customary tenure systems in the country in line with the key principles of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) (FAO/CFS, 2012). Also available in Burmese.

Gender equality is a key to eliminating poverty and hunger, as it has been demonstrated by the FAO throughout its research worldwide. As part of the FAO efforts on generating evidence and knowledge, and in compliance with the FAO Policy on Gender Equality, the purpose of the Country Gender Assessment for Uzbekistan is to contribute to the production of knowledge for better informed, targeted and gender sensitive actions in agriculture and rural development. It has been produced as it is required in the FAO Policy on Gender Equality, and was validated in a high-level national workshop with representatives from the [...]

For centuries, fishing has been an activity of great importance for indigenous peoples. They inhabit and relate to water ecosystems, which conserve their cultural heritage, food sovereignty (the right to access healthy and culturally appropriate food) and in many cases are a main source of income. In Central America the situation is not different: today indigenous peoples live in more than 75% of the marine-coastal zones of the Caribbean Sea and extensive areas adjacent to continental waters and the Pacific Ocean, and have in fishing their main incomes. Precisely these areas present the highest indicators of poverty and malnutrition in [...]

The aim of this document is to make policy-relevant suggestions related to the following questions: 1) How can vulnerable fisher-farmers' access to social protection be enhanced; and 2) What potential exists for social protection and fishery-related policies, institutions, mechanisms and programs to mutually reinforce poverty reduction and incentivize conservation and sustainable use of fisheries and related natural resources.

With increased international climate finance for adaptation, and the emergence of national adaptation plans and adaptation projects, there is a greater focus on the economic appraisal of adaptation. Economic appraisal is standard practice in public sector investment decisions in many countries, as well as in international development finance and overseas development assistance. It provides support to decision makers to help ensure the appropriate use of public finance, and to assess alternative options available for meeting objectives, by assessing costs, benefits and performance against other decision criteria. This publication reviews available information on the costs and benefits of climate change adaptation [...]

Marine and inland fisheries provide millions of people around the globe with food security and livelihood opportunities. Advancing knowledge on how the world’s marine and inland capture fisheries are accessed, used, and managed using various types of rights-based approaches (RBAs) is a crucial step towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and attaining food and nutrition security and livelihood benefits. The Global Conference on Tenure and User Rights in Fisheries 2018 created a neutral platform for a wide variety of participants, including government officials; fishers from industrial, small-scale and indigenous/traditional communities; fisheries-related stakeholders; nongovernment organizations (NGOs); civil society organizations (CSOs); intergovernmental organizations [...]

he objective of this Symposium is to identify pathways to strengthen the science and policy interplay in fisheries production, management and trade, based on solid sustainability principles for improved global outcomes on the ground. Ultimately, the debates and conclusions of the symposium will prepare the way for the development of a new vision for the way we perceive and use capture fisheries, outlining how the sector can respond to the complex and rapidly changing challenges facing society, and support the planning process of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). Also available in French and Spanish.  

In 2007, the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Commission) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) included the preparation of the report on The State of the World’s Aquatic Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Report) into its Multi-Year Programme of Work. The Commission later determined that the scope of the Report be “farmed aquatic species and their wild relatives within national jurisdiction”. Following a country-driven process, the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department prepared a draft Report for review by the Commission, its Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Aquatic Genetic Resources for Food [...]

This publication gathers the scientific and policy information and outcomes of the regional conference for wider distribution. The long abstracts were written by the invited speakers. These proceedings are intended as a useful collection of information focusing on river habitat restoration and inland fisheries of the European continent, with specific examples from the Danube river basin. It makes a significant contribution to existing knowledge of these issues. This document has been prepared by the International Organisation for the Development of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Europe (EUROFISH) for the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the FAO Regional [...]

The FAO Blue Growth Initiative seeks to balance the sustainable management of aquatic resources with economic and social benefits for local communities and Indigenous Peoples. The Blue Growth Initiative values the crucial role Indigenous Peoples play as custodians of traditional knowledge and practices and stewards of the ecosystems in which they live. Blue Growth approaches support the needs of Indigenous Peoples, ensuring their voices are heard in decision-making processes that affect them, supporting access rights to their traditional lands and territories, and encouraging the preservation of their cultural heritage through sustainable fisheries and aquaculture management that benefits future generations.