We want our Fishermen back home soon!

My Colleague Gayan Ambegoda, in the media unit has been posted a video quoting from the Hiru TV. There are 213 fishermen held in Chennai central jail and Tuticorine in Tamil Nadu for more than 3 months now. Most of those fishermen are from Thoduwawa, Negombo, CHilaw, Trincomalee and Kalpitiya areas. Fisher communities around Negombo, Chilaw areas have been fighting in the streets. GOSL is attempting to take time and now they have pushed their leaders from the parallel structures to save the Ministry and the government. BBC London service approached me inquiring some of the information which was seems a kind of planted story. The deputy minister is highly articulated about the arrested fishermen and angry with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jeyalalitha. This is some what absurd position as the central governments in New Delhi and Colombo should take necessary steps to release the fishermen when they are arrested. The Joint Fisheries Working Group is the structure to accelerate the release of fishermen and send them back home. We, NAFSO wants to get the support from all possible parties to bring the fishermen back home and will facilitate a dialogue with Rev. Bandiwewe Diyasena Thero to mediate and assist us to bring the fishermen as earliest. The News Item appeared in the Hiry TV could be visited through the link below. Herman

We have only God to tell all these! No one else help us for our survival-Says Fishermen at Kudamaduwella beach

Fisher people living in Thoduwawa, Kudamaduwella, Barudalpola, Iranawila villages organized a religious event on 23rd at Kudamaduwella beach ground. This is an extension of the protest they organized at Thoppuwa, Kochchikade on 17th December. The protestors demanded 4 main points and the politicians who approached people promised to make arrangements to meet President the same day. But, this was also another broken promise to the people as those politicians could not keep the promise to meet president. It was only Fisheries minister Rajitha Senarathne met the people and there was no any satisfactory answer for their issues. For the foreign fishing vessels, he had projected the possibility to remove Chinese Vessels from the Sea by end of May only. But, it is with a condition. If President agree to remove vessels he can take the necessary steps and there is no any assurance. For the release of Sri Lankan fishermen who are detained in Indian jails, it is foreign ministry's responsibility and not the fisheries ministry. So, Rajitha Senarathne had put the ball in to the hands of Deputy foreign minister Neomal Perera who was present at the meeting. So, there is no clear answer for any of the issues the fishers raised. Now, people have decided to do all possible attempts to find a solution. Religious activities amidst the Christmas Celebrations are one among others. Around, 800 people gathered at the religious event and the Parish Priest at Kudamaduwella church lead the prayer service. Loyel Peiris, the Coordinator of Puttlam District Solidarity addressed the gathering and expressed the deep concern over the ineffectiveness of the authorities and the necessity to take speedy steps to find solutions for the issues raised by the people. Loyel Peiris mentioned that we need to organize island wide campaign with the participation of Small Scale Fishers, Boat owners, civil society organizations and political groups to protest against the authorities to take speedy actions. After the religious event, NAFSO convener, met the boat owners, some fisher leaders and discussed what would be the next possible steps to push the authorities for effective actions while organizing fisheries organizations island wide. The possible date discussed was the commemoration of Anthony Fernando, the assassinated fisher leader during the Fuel Struggle on 15th February, 2012. Herman

No to Foreign Fishing Vessels in SL waters!

After months education campaign against foreign fishing vessels, Chinese Vessels in particular which are operating in SL EEZ as the BOI approved joint venture fishing operations became successful as hundreds of fishermen came to streets demanding remove Foreign Fishing Vessels out of the SL EEZ.
The boat owners, skippers and crew members came to Streets, at Thoppuwa Junction and protested demanding 4 main demands;
1. Remove Foreign Fishing Vessels from SL EEZ,
2. Not to unload and sell the fish from the fishing vessels which lowering the prices of local fishing vessels operators,
3. Mediate to release immediately, the fishermen who are detained in foreign countries,
4. Implement effective Fuel Subsidiary scheme and remedy the irregularities of existing fuel subsidy scheme.

This protest was some what critical as people were blocked the Puttlam-Colombo road at Thoppuwa bridge and road was blocked more than 2 hours. Police was so patiente and we were suspicious this much of patiente of Police.
The reason was some what clear to some people. Because, the slogans chanted at the protest were aimed at the fisheries minister, Dr. Rajitha Senarathne and not the overall plans of the SL government. Also, some senior ministers like Milroy Fernando, North Western Fisheries Minister Sanath Nishantha and Dayashreetha Tissera were around before the protest began even. And the demand at the blockade of the road was to bring the ministers of the North Western Province to settle.
However, the deputy fisheries minister Sarath Kumara Gunarathne appeared and promised 20 people to meet President for a solution.
So, we think this is well planned protest to attack some of the ministers in the cabinet and make image of one person in the country.

How to Involve the Implementation of VG-SSF once adopted

NAFSO joined the e-consultation of the  Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition on Implementing the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries.
The e-consultation will be conducted until 3rd December, 2013.

NAFSO was able to collect views from the membership, the leaders of NAFSO through partner organization, key leading activists through email consultations, national gathering and came up with a following actions to engage in the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines of the Small Scale Fisheries known as VG-SSF.

Following are the key areas of our responses:

ISSUES AND QUESTIONS

1.       Partnering for implementation

The implementation of the SSF Guidelines will require engagement and partnerships across different institutions, organizations and actors as the SSF Guidelines implementation does not only require the involvement by fishers but takes into consideration also the role and needs of those around them. Fishing communities, CSOs, academia, NGOs, governments, regional organizations, donors and international agencies and organizations all need to work together - but different actors may have different roles to play to address issues in relation to fisheries governance, gender, post-harvest, consumer interests, wider societal interests, etc. Please share any experiences, both good or bad as well as lessons learned related to partnerships in the implementation of international instruments

·         How do you see the role of your organization and others in the implementation of the SSF Guidelines?

As an organization work for establish sustainable small scale fisheries in Sri Lanka and  work for protects people’s rights, National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO) play major role in advocacy and policy lobbying.

In implementation of SSF guideline (VG-SSF), NAFSO work as mediatory organization for Sri Lankan government, community and other stake holders to take the message to grass root level from the international level and also to work with the people to prepare background to implementation of the guideline.

Building of required people’s pressure for the State to act in people centered manner and bring the marginalized peoples voice to upper level is also among the NAFSO’s role in implementation of the SSF guideline.

Other Stake holders are also should participate to build awareness among wider community in the country to build well educated citizens in the country to pressurize decision makers to implement VG-SSF.

NAFSO will Translate the VG-SSF in to local languages[Sinhala and Tamil] and bring to grass root level through its activists and community leaders. In fact, the available negotiated text also already being translated in to both Sinhala and Tamil languages and discussed among NAFSO membership and received the feedback.

Aware the Organizations work with sectors other than fisheries. E.g. Women, Farmers, workers union etc.

Build required pressure with the people, for adopting required policies for implementing VG-SSF by the government.

·         How can partnerships be fostered and strengthened to include the ‘voices of the marginalized

·         To make proper connection with marginalized people in the society, partnerships must be properly educated.

·         Prepare educational materials on VG-SSF, which can understand by people with lowest educational level/illiterate. (visuals/simple cartoons)

·         Issue based campaigns with the people together with relevant organizations such as Women related, Human rights, environment, labor etc.

What will be required at local, national, regional and global levels to ensure effective and efficient partnerships?

·         For effective and efficient partnership, better build an organizational network working on the subject with partners of local, National and international level and provide proper guidance on VG-SSF. In some cases, we may need to build up links and network on various issues, such as groups work on access rights, post harvest, women rights, disaster mitigation, rights of the IDPs etc.

·         Need national level Committed leadership to internalize the important subjects and articulate with clear understanding.

·         Adopt effective communication methodologies.

·         Share of relevant information regularly as they coming from regional and international levels,

Critical Analysis on the partnerships and wider awareness on how VG-SSF affect to the people life. E.g. for food security etc

Need a team devoted to work on VG-SSF implementation and bring it to other sectors/groups/communities.

Improved media relationship                                                                                            

State and Non-state actors must work together with mutual understanding.

2.      Information and communication – promoting experience sharing and collaboration

Continuous learning and sharing of experiences will be of utmost importance for effective implementation. Available lessons learnt, best practices and tools should be used and reinventing the wheel avoided, but at the same time the local context may differ to such a degree that specific tools and solutions must be developed. Monitoring of progress will be important to keep track of what is working (and what is not) and participatory monitoring and evaluation systems and relevant statistics can help making information available and shared.

                                             

·         What best practices with regard to communication would you recommend for SSF Guidelines implementation at local, national, regional and global level?

Case studies related to VG-SSF.

Share People’s Struggles for sustain their lives, livelihoods and basic human rights,

Documentation of successful co- management practices among people practiced for considerable time period.

Small documentaries on success stories after implementation of VG-SSF

Using of web and social media for publicize the VG-SSF-[You Tube, Face Book]

Using of Comic arts, cartoons to bring VG-SSF to various levels of the society.

·         What are your experiences from participatory monitoring and evaluation?

Inter organizational participatory monitoring and evaluation is very difficult while internal monitoring is possible.

However, this is very important to assess the progress and keep the right track of implementation of any international instrument.

Hence, there should be mechanism to monitor the progress of the implementation through cross checking when reporting back and challenge the State reports by non State report/s,

·         How can progress in implementing the SSF Guidelines be measured and reported in a useful way?

To measure:

If VG-SSF implemented, VG-SSF based regulation/ policies will be adopted and be activated by the relevant authorities.

The level of investment, increased percentage of welfare on small scale fisheries will show progress in implementation

The level of understanding of VG-SSF among the State actors, mainly the fisheries officials in national State agencies and regional offices of FAO,

The level of change programs in favor of SSF than before,

When it is reporting back to a COFI or any other relevant forum, there should be a parallel reporting process to the State report from civil society should be considered. There should be mechanism adopted to this which should be integral part of the VG-SSF it self.

 3.      Challenges and opportunities – needs for support and interventions

There will be implementation challenges (e.g. financial, political, institutional, cultural) to address but also opportunities to capitalize on. These may vary from one context to another and also differ between the global, regional, national and local levels. Understanding these challenges and opportunities will be important for identifying and designing support activities. The implementation of the SSF Guidelines will need a mix of different types of interventions, including – but not necessarily limited to – the strengthening of political commitment and awareness raising, changes in policies, revisions of legislation and/or regulations, development of capacity and empowerment, improving and sharing information, and strengthened research and communication.

 What do you think the main implementation challenges are, generally as well as in a specific country context, and how could they be overcome?

·         Political will is the major challenge for Sri Lankan SSF. State strategy is to develop mega scale fisheries while giving less importance to the small scale fisheries sector development or continuation.   

·         Political leaders who work with profit motive instead of food sovereignty/ food security, poverty alleviation, rural development, address issues and development of marginalized people or environmental protection won’t see any importance of VG-SSF too.

·         Until now, our experience is negative once there are instruments which are not legally binding and voluntary in nature. Unfortunately, all the FAO based instruments are voluntary in nature and States are not binding to implement them in national level,

·         Some of the States considering Civil society organizations as who work against the government and not ready to work with the CSOs for social development, food security, poverty alleviation etc.

To Overcome such barriers:

·         Build up a social movement and Campaigning together with community, mass media, researches, Civil society networks and academia etc. to pressurize the government

·         Equip the community leaders, activists in the organizations with knowledge and basic capacities to raise the important aspects of the VG-SSF, may be with the politicians, officials, media and researches etc. This will help to press the policy makers to consider the people’s voice and implement what they agreed at FAO level,

·         Organize some face to face dialogues with the policy makers and the State actors and Community leaders and independent actors,

What are your experiences of addressing these types of challenges and what have been successful or unsuccessful strategies and approaches?

·         We have experienced of preparation of sustainable fisheries policy with the bottom up approach and submitted to the government authorities with the half million signatures of the community. Conducted a series of discussion with the government policy makers to get establish the policy while lobby work with the people to pressurize the government.

·         With the power of the community, building of Sea plane landing site in  Negombo lagoon(25 Km North to Colombo) was stopped even after starting of project work. Awareness and strong leadership was behind the success in the campaign.

·         With the fisher people’s pressure, government had to grant fuel subsidiary for the fishing people after increase of fuel price in 2012 February.

·         In some cases we identified that, it is difficult to unifying people. e.g, Fight against acquisition of lands for development of tourism in Kalpitiya islands and resettlement in Mullikulam (Mannar district -250Km North to Colombo) .

How would interventions vary, depending on the time frame (e.g. what can be done within the next 12 months, in the next 5 years, in the long term) and depending on the existing resources (e.g. small/medium investments or large/transformative investments)?

·         Educate fisher people, Fisheries organizational leadership, within one year. For this material productions to bring the VG-SSF to tips of the people’s hand is utmost important.

·         Preparations of materials, popular manual in local languages is important within the 1^st year.

·         And develop agreeable policies together with the people in five years. Based on the VG-SSF, policies should be developed and bottom up approach should be promoted among policy makers. Unless, there is a substantial change of attitudes of the policy makers on SSF matters, there is no an effective implementation of VG-SSF too. So, we are careful about this process within the 5 years after adoption of VG-SSF.

·         In long term, work for include the developed policy matters to government policies together with people and policy makers in the government.

·         There should be national mechanism adopted and a civil team formed to monitor the implementation of the VG-SSF and to guide the policy makers to keep the track.

·         National Fisheries advisory body should be formed to evaluate the progress and guide the State mechanisms to implement VG-SSF.

·         FAO, COFI should be adopt a mechanism to evaluate the progress being made after 5 years of the adoption of VG-SSF and take necessary steps to guide the States to address the issues of SSF in accordance with the VG-SSF.

 

 

 

Respect at Home what Agreed at Internationally: Furture of IG-SSF and More

Friends,
I got a very interesting note from Comrade Andrew Johnston of South Africa on International Guidelines on Small Scale Fisheries, [IG-SSF]. This is a critical note to us, those who engage in IG-SSF formulation process. We need to critical assess the out come of the IG-SSF once we adopted it at FAO in June, 2014.
Andy had given us some clue to be cautious about the content of the IG-SSF as how it contribute to eradicate, hunger, poverty and social evils which are being oppressed the small scale fishing communities around the globe. There are so many international instruments coming up though the existing ones are not respected by the States. Mainly because most of those instruments which are coming from FAO are not binding ones and no proper mechanism for monitoring and evaluation  to assess the progress and impact.
Yesterday, it was VGGT. Tomorrow it will be IG-SSF. We hope States are serious enough to keep the promise and respect their own agreements, guidelines or conventions to treat their citizens as it agreed as minimum as possible even at the negotiations.
Andy, thank you for reminding these points in your mail.
I share it with all others.

Herman
Guidelines;
We the small- scale fishing communities find ourselves in an era of exceptional economic, cultural and political upheaval, not one of happiness and success but in an environment of prejudice, alienation and inequality. We have become the prisoners of a belief that we can be fashioned at will to an ideology of that if we are industrialized, it will eradicate the poverty. Even though this creates an uncaring, corrupt, dog eats dog society, with human values an after thought. We no longer live in a communally based society but in social isolation. Global warming /climate change is spoken as the foremost issue, as if it is the only plight we face,but hides the much larger and important environmental problems that affronts the small- scale fishers, -that of pollution, over catching, economic oppression, marginalization, mass extinction of stock, dying coral reefs, unjust laws, and bad management. Food security is thus at risk because the harvesting of high value fish is mainly for export rather than for local food needs in fact Africa has become the bread basket for the rich nations and not for the needy at home. The discussion on the trade issue at the forthcoming Guidelines meeting should set importance to the trade proposals and;
Admit that economic growth cannot be achieved if we continue  to harvest un-sustainably to fuel the economy of the state.
Abandon the obsession with maximizing sustainable yields but look to local sufficiency.
Change from the non- caring capitalistic complex economies that has a detrimental effect on the complex frail ecosystem and the vulnerable small- scale fisher folk.
The fluctuation of value of money that leads to high costs of fuel, material, food and taxation keeps the small- scale fishing communities forever in the jaws of impoverishment.
The introduction of the protection of human values beyond and above human rights that is being eroded by Machiavellian economic policies.

End of part 1

Andrew Johnston
Artisanal. Fishers Association
Republic of South Africa.

The main news item appeared in NAFSO blog today is about the in human treatments to the 103 Sri Lankan fishermen whom  are detained in Indian jails. The main claim is that the provide of single meal per day. This is really unacceptable situation though those fishermen were caught now and detain in a foreign jail.
In another news item appeared on the Sunday Times news paper yesterday[24/11] the deputy fisheries minister Sarath Gunaratne has claimed that those Sri Lankan fishermen were attempted to sail to the Arabian Seas through an innocent passage and were caught by the Indian coast guards. Nimal Hettiarachchi, the Director General of Fisheries Department also proved this information as correct one.
We do not know the actual situation. Sri Lankan fishermen are known as the poachers in to other territories and this put them in to vulnerable situation though they are innocent or not. However, the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea says, the human treatment and the immediate repatriation of the fishermen once arrested beyond the national boundaries.
We URGE, all concern parties to take measures to treat those fishermen HUMANELY and provide necessary assistance to repatriate those fishermen as soon as possible.
Sri Lankan fishermen or Indian fishermen[or even Pakistan or Bangladesh fishermen] should not be caught between the political games of the countries and should not treat them as enemies or political opponents at all.
We urge JUSTICE and FAIR treatment to all fishermen.
Herman

Message from World Forum of Fisher Peoples-WFFP on World Fisheries Day, 21st November

Safety of Fisher People –World Fisheries Day 21^st November 2013

All over the World Fisher people are facing violating  boarders in the process of fishing. It is very common in Europe, Gulf Countries, African Countries, South American Countries, Asian Countries like  India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and  Sri Lanka  boarders. Nowhere in the world boarders  are earmarked . The Fisher People are facing a lot of hardships like court cases, due to lack of country visas, etc. It is a perennial problem. There are many stories like landing I n jails for months and years. There are criminal  charges filed against Fisher People. Why should these small scale fisher people fishing for livelihood landing un in jails. What about  the sufferings the families have to undergo. Is there any humanity left in this World? Is there a way out?

There are many ways to solve these problems if boarder countries collaborate. We have to make the United Nations (UN) to involve in this issue. Since World Fisheries Day has become common all over the World, let us start a campaign to have International laws to be enacted like Law of the Sea. Every sea boarder between two coastal countries 50 kms should be declared as Common Peace Area(CPA). If 50 kms are available let us make it half of the available sea as CPA. In this CPA  fisher people in  both the countries are free to fish. But these fisher people should be from these boarder areas and no question of fishing vessels with foreign flags and foreign investment as well.. There should not be any destructive fishing gears. If a boarder country has banned one particular fishing gear the same banning should be applicable in the whole of CPA. Those who wish to fish should obtain NO OBJECTION IDENTITY CARD counter signed by both the respective boarder countries. These fisher people should be owner operators.  Each Fishing vessel should carry a CPA flag. This CPA should be ear marked by floats .

During this year’s World Fisheries Day let us make this as a campaign all over the World. Please circulate these boarder problems among us `and the UN. Let us demand for CPA Law by the UN.

World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP) 21-11-2013.

Dear Friends,

I had an opportunity to give an interview to Asia Pacific Forum radio show on WBAI, New York's community radio station during my visit to NY city to attend the "Echoes of Gadhar" conference.

Please listen to my interview as well as the interview of Anti POSCO movement's activist at the same interview.

http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=328.

Thanks to Aruna Krishnakumar who interviewed us at the conference.

Herman

It is a great experience and exchange of learning of the North and the east leaders evaluation, exhibition and also the planing for the coming year through the program conducted by NAFSO team during the latter part of the year 2012.
The leaders of the N/E region whom closely work with NAFSO met 14-16 of December at NAFSO and proudly displayed their activities as a group of people in the IDP camps, Women Headed Families, Fisheries Groups, Citizen Forums.
The exhibition was inaugurated by the convener of NAFSO and followed by the discussion and a meeting. The exhibition was attended by Mr.George Dixon, the out going President of MIJARC, the Catholic Rural Youth Movement, based at Brussels, Belgium.