Written by Mamadou Aliou Diallo, Head of Communications at the African Confederation of Artisanal Fishing Professional Organizations (CAOPA)
From June 9 to 13, 2025, the city of Nice (France) hosted the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3). Over the course of a week, more than 60 heads of state, government delegations from numerous countries, intergovernmental organizations, and civil society actors gathered in Nice to affirm their commitment to international collaboration for the protection of the oceans.
Under the theme: “Joining Forces for a Sustainable Ocean Management”, this biennial event is a major milestone on the international agenda for ocean governance, the protection of marine biodiversity, and the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14).
For the first time, I had the opportunity to attend this event as a representative of CAOPA (African Confederation of Professional Organizations of Small-Scale Fisheries). It was a powerful, rich, and memorable experience. My presence allowed me to fully grasp the stakes: to make the voices of African small-scale fishers heard in global decision-making spaces, where the future of the seas—and thus of millions of coastal communities—is being negotiated.
UNOC3 was not just a space for discovery, but also a place of recognition and pride. As Raïssa Madou, a fish processor from Côte d'Ivoire, powerfully put it: “We turn fish into food, into dignity, and into a future for our children.”
Governance, Dignity, and Implementation of the SSF Guidelines
Among the many panels, speeches, and side events, several themes emerged as especially important for small-scale fisheries. These revolved around one central issue: the effective implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF Guidelines).
The SSF Guidelines were adopted ten years ago. Yet, their implementation remains slow and often symbolic. For fishers, these guidelines provide a critical framework to demand concrete rights: access to markets, infrastructure, training, and credit. As Dawda Saine from The Gambia rightly said: “The right to access the sea should not be begged for. It must be guaranteed.”
Ocean Justice and Recognition of Rights
Discussions highlighted that land and access rights to traditional fishing areas are essential. Without legal recognition, fishers remain vulnerable to exclusion. Gaoussou Gueye, president of CAOPA, emphasized: “A blue economy that excludes the men and women of small-scale fisheries is not a sustainable economy. There can be no sustainability without equity.”
A Two-Speed Blue Economy?
Several speakers criticized the harmful consequences of a profit-driven “blue economy” that excludes communities, as highlighted by artisanal fisher Syahril Paranginangin: “This is not development; it is dispossession. We are being deprived of our space, our dignity, and our future.”
A fair blue economy must be based on the recognition of local knowledge, participatory management, and environmental justice.
Raising the Visibility of Small-Scale Fishers
Compared to previous editions, UNOC3 provided an unprecedented platform for small-scale fishers to speak out. Through side events, discussions with ministers, UN agencies, and partner NGOs, their presence was no longer marginal—it was central.
Raïssa Madou, fish processor from Côte d'Ivoire, said: “In small-scale fisheries, women are present throughout the entire fish value chain. In our communities, we are economists, environmentalists, educators. But we are also invisible.”
In front of authorities, she demanded: “…we want a seat at the decision-making table on maritime policies, co-management plans, and blue economy projects. Because without our voice, without our work, without our commitment, there is no food security, there is no sustainability.”
One Event: 40 Fishers, 25 Countries, 12 Million Voices
On June 12, a side event organized by CAOPA and the University of British Columbia (UBC) made a lasting impression. It brought together 40 small-scale fishers from 25 countries, representing 12 million people.
Their message: “For marine conservation to be fair and effective, it must be based on a human rights approach, including the recognition of land and access rights.”
Fishers from Asia, the Americas, Africa, and Europe shared their realities, threats, and hopes. They reminded everyone that, ten years after the adoption of the SSF Guidelines, the challenges remain: criminalization, exclusion, loss of access, persistent poverty.
The presence of environment ministers from Costa Rica and Madagascar, as well as representatives from Germany’s BMZ and Senegal’s fisheries ministry, added political weight to the event. Fishing communities reiterated that any effective policy must start at the grassroots level, within communities. Local governance, participation by professional organizations, and transparency are the backbone of any sustainable transformation.
Unity Beyond Borders
UNOC3 marked a rare moment of unity across continents. The fisher delegations shared a common conviction: only collective mobilization can stand up to industrial interests. Despite diverse contexts, they spoke with one voice. As Félicito Nunez, Garifuna representative from Honduras, sighed: “Alone, we have no weight. Together, we are powerful.”
An Experience and Its Lessons
What struck me most at UNOC3 was the maturity of the global small-scale fisheries movement. I saw community leaders explaining complex governance concepts, young fishers speaking about the loss of their marine areas and demanding accountability mechanisms. I saw women fish processors and traders talking about access to credit and demanding concrete solutions. Their voices were free, powerful, and legitimate.
This conference was not an end. It was the beginning of a new phase. The confidence, pride, and clarity of the message deeply moved me.
Fighting Empty Promises
The key recommendations I take away from UNOC3 are:Take action. Immediately implement the SSF Guidelines at the national level, with dedicated resources.Fund community-led projects tailored to their needs.Guarantee access to traditional fishing areas by protecting land rights.Include small-scale fishers in governance mechanisms—local, national, and international.Strengthen small-scale fishing organizations and promote their unity at the global level.
My hope is simple. That the commitments made in Nice do not remain mere declarations. That they take shape in ports, villages, markets, and institutions. That small-scale fisheries stop being treated as a residual sector and are recognized for what they already are in practice: the backbone of a just, sustainable, and inclusive blue economy.
By Mamadou Aliou Diallo, Head of Communications at CAOPA
“My mission was to document, capture, and disseminate. I photographed fishers in their moments of transmission, filmed their speeches, published their words on our channels. But above all, I listened—because behind every message lies a lived, daily, profoundly human struggle.”
The participation of Mr. Diallo at the conference was supported through the project Enhancing Equitable, Climate-Resilient, and Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries through the Implementation of the SSF Guidelines, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of FAO.