Celebrating IYAFA 2022 in the Western Central Atlantic region (WECAFC)

IYAFA 2022 in the WECAFC region
The Western Central Atlantic Region is gearing up to celebrate the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries in 2022! IYAFA 2022 presents a unique opportunity to showcase the progress made in the implementation of the SSF Guidelines in a coordinated way, and gain more visibility and recognition for the WECAFC region’s SSF, small-scale aquaculture (SSA) and key stakeholders, including fisherfolk, fish farmers and their organizations on a global scale. Member States are spearheading the IYAFA 2022 celebrations through engagement with existing Fisheries Advisory Committees or specially established National IYAFA 2022. Member States are spearheading the IYAFA 2022 celebrations through engagement with existing Fisheries Advisory Committees or specially established National IYAFA 2022 Steering Committees, comprising key public and private sector actors, national and local fisherfolk and fish-farmer organizations, civil society and academia.

The overall theme for the WECAFC region is Resilience and Recovery, with cross cutting attention to Gender and Youth, and supported by three sub-themes.

These sub-themes will be accomplished through four (4) main courses of action: advocacy & awareness; knowledge creation & dissemination; policy making; and capacity building & education.

Get involved in IYAFA 2022 Activities
Member States and other partners are asked to share their IYAFA 2022 programmes with the WECAFC IYAFA 2022 Coordination Committee. Key activities will be used to populate the WECAFC IYAFA 2022 Regional Roadmap, and will be also reflected on the IYAFA global website events page here: https://www.fao.org/artisanal-fisheries-aquaculture-2022/events/en/. The Committee will seek to strengthen linkages with national, regional and global platforms, highlight key events, share information and communication materials, provide some level of guidance, when required, and resources, as acquired.  A regional Call for Champions, official launch of IYAFA 2022 in the WECAFC region, and a dedicated IYAFA 2022 Forum at the upcoming Gulf & Caribbean Fisheries Institute Conference are on the cards for 2021 and potentially 2022.

For more information, visit https://www.fao.org/artisanal-fisheries-aquaculture-2022/en/