Securing Small Scale Fisheries: Bringing Together Responsible Fisheries & Social Development.

12TH 14TH OCTOBER 2010 MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE.

At the COFI meeting in 2009, it was decided that there should be an international instrument for securing rights of the Small Scale Fisher People. This was a follow up work of the whole process initiated at Bangkok in 2008 at the 4SSF conference.
The respective officials decided at the COFI meeting to draft an instrument for securing small scale fishers while organizing 3 regional workshops in Asia[Bangkok, Thailand], Africa[Maputu, Mosambique]and Latin America [Caribbean islands] prior to COFI meeting in Janusry, 2011.
Andrew Johnston of Artisanal Fishers Assosciation at South Africa is one of a participant to African work shop at Maputu, Mosambique representing WFFP.
Following is his observations and would reflect his views of the same WS.

Herman Kumara

Sixty participants from the Africa continent which included government fisheries ministry, civil society and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations participated in this regional workshop in Maputo. The expected outcome was that there had to be guidance on a possible international instrument to plan, implement and report on securing sustainability and Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries in Small-Scale Fisheries within the Africa context. Secondly high priority actions and potential gaps in the implementation of good governance practices in SSF and related assistance needs. The decisions decided at this workshop would be presented to the 29th session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries in January 2011 Rome. Presentations were given on Governance, reducing vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change, gender, Human Rights based development framework and existing international instruments related to SSF in Africa. Given the dilemma of the majority of civil society invitees being stuck at O.R.Tambo International Airport due to Visa snags and a few only filtering into the workshop late on the second day the conclusion was very positive and enlightening. With government officials, civil society and policy-makers seating in close proximity in a small conference room, my expectation was one of “they disregard the lives of the downtrodden that they little understand” and nothing will be achieved but I was pleasantly surprisingly proved wrong in my assumptions. The workshop synthesis report from the working group’s discussion was the feeling that here from Africa were some genuine people who wanted to build equitable societies, achieve justice for all and not crucify our hope of a fairer Africa.


We therefore could walk away from this workshop extremely delighted on the outcome that the basis was comparable to the Bangkok resolutions and as a South African it was marvelous that our new small-scale policy actually was completely in line with the proposals. {See attachment of proceedings] The issue of co-management, ecosystem approach, communal rights, and fisher’s right to development, rights based approach and the rejection of privatization all being music to our ears. The sticky issues was the problem of migrant fishers which was not resolved mainly it was contrary to some countries national policy also because of only having a few civil society members present we did not give a full presentation from our group. This presentation will have to be forwarded by WFFF and WFFP to the secretariat along with additional proposals on human rights of small-scale fishing of which there was considerable debate. The feeling amongst us was that the issue of human rights was to an important issue to finalize although those already decided was acceptable, {still awaiting this from FAO] there was extra rights that should be work shopped amongst our members as the thinking on human rights differ in various cultures around the world. Whether the final findings from the regional workshops should be incorporated into the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries or be similar to guidelines as in the Right to Adequate Food was discussed at length and the general consensus it should be guidelines. All in All given the very bad organizational arrangements by the organizers of civil society it was a wonderful experience and a huge success as networking exercise and a boost towards our struggle for rights.

Thanking You,

Andrew Johnston,
World Forum of Fisher Peoples'[WFFP]