Opportunities for the Pacific Nicole Franz and Blaise Kuemlangan

1. The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication Opportunities for the Pacific Nicole Franz and Blaise Kuemlangan

2. The SSF Guidelines • An overviewof the theguidelines • Next steps (exploring opportunities for implementation)

6. Part I – IntroductionObjective • …objectives should be achieved through the promotion of a human rights-based approach, by empowering small-scale fishing communities, including both men and women, to participate in decision-making processes, and to assume responsibilities for sustainable use of fishery resources, and placing emphasis on the needs of developing countries and for the benefit of vulnerable and marginalized groups.

7. Part 2: Responsible fisheries and sustainable development • Secure rights to fishery resources and land and the ability to benefit from them • Sustainability, effective management and stewardship • Social development issues in SSF (e.g. access to services, need for equality and equity, living standards) • Secure incomes and safe, fair and decent working conditions • Specific issues related to the postharvest sector and trade • Highlights gender based issues and the need to promote equality and equity • Reduction of vulnerability and increased resilience

8. Part 3: Enabling environment • Addresses: • Poor policy coherence and cross-sectoral collaboration • Interrelated aspects of access to information and capacity development • Enhancing information and research on SSF and the need for capacity development at all levels and scales • Potential challenges for implementation and strategies to ensure that the SSF Guidelines are applied

9. Next steps • Exploring opportunities for implementation of the SSF Guidelines in the Pacific

10. PacificRealities Some challengesfor SSF in the Pacific • Population growth and climate change poses new challenges CF and SSF to provide food security, nutrition and income • Other external threats: habitat destruction, pollution, siltation, and logging and mining • Ineffective management processes: ineffective centrally based management , of most coastal resources is ineffective, while lower level management often suffers from a lack of technical knowledge and/or legal foundation •  Inadequate communication with, and real input from, stakeholders • Lack of incentives for fisheries agency achievements outside the fisheries sector; insufficient financial resources

11. Pacificrealities – Opportunities • Relatively high status of fishers – sea and its uses pervade national cultures of PICTs. Most benefits from fisheries that directly affect islanders of PICTs – such as nutrition and jobs – come from coastal resources • Artisanal fishing rights and customary or community marine tenure very common • Key contributor to food security: fish for local consumption almost entirely supplied by domestic small-scale fisheries • Existing regional platforms

12. Existing regional platformsshould build political support for the SSF Guidelines implementation Organizations: • SPC, FFA, PIF, MSG, Te VakaMoana and FAOSAP, NGOs and CSOs:e.g. LLMA Processes: • HOF, FFC, FrMSG Heads of Governments Forum; Frameworks: • SPC FAME,A new Song for Coastal Fisheries – Pathways to Change, • MSG Roadmap for inshore fisheries management and sustainable development,)

13. Global Assistance Programme Supporting implementation: Programme management, collaboration and monitoring

14. How can the SSF Guidelinessupport SSF in the region? Implement SSF Guidelines through previous/planned work and by complementing ongoing initiatives (e.g. Future of Pacific Island Fisheries roadmap, SPC FAME, SPC New Song, FAO Multi-Programming framework)? Identify champions of change for specific issues? Other?

15. Building on previous/planned work and complementing ongoing initiatives: Objective 1: Reform and build fisheries agencies for better services • Increase real input and influence by fishery stakeholders into policies/operations of fishery agencies • Create incentives for fisheries agencies to work with private sector and other economic sectors (e.g. trade, environment tourism, health) • Shift away from attempting government micromanagement of coastal fisheries to empowering local communities • Improve the capacity of tertiary educational institutions in the region to produce people who have the multi-disciplinary skills to manage fisheries • Structure fisheries agencies as coordinators and facilitators rather than total service providers

16. Building on previous/planned work and complementing ongoing initiatives: Objective 3: Sustain coastal fisheries • Encourage long-term relationships between fishery resources and their exploiters • Selectively devolve management responsibility to communities, with support from fisheries agencies for technical issues and issues beyond the community level • Encourage the transition from government-led development of what are often nonexistent opportunities to the concept that fisheries agencies, their officers, and communities are guardians of marine resources • Work across sectoral boundaries to promote non-extractive use of coastal resources • Formulate, review and update climate change adaptation strategies as impacts evolve and become clearer • SSF Guidelines can provide guiding framework to implement such a roadmap

17. Potential FAO support to the Pacific • VGSSF is a part of the programme of work labelled “the Blue Growth Initiative” (BGI) • Support from FAO under the Technical Cooperation Programme providing that countries request such technical assistance.

18. Blue Growth Initiative (BGI). • FAO’s holistic approach to tackle problems in fisheries and aquaculture in order to: • improving the governance and management of the aquatic resources • the conservation of their biodiversity and habitats • the empowerment of concerned communities

19. BGI in the Pacific i.    Implementing ecosystem approaches and international agreements - emphasis on capture fisheries in partnership with RFBs ii.    Technical assistance for the implementation of the VGSSF iii.   Support for effective implementation the CCRF and the associated instruments and guidelines. iv.    Assist regional organizations and FAO Member countries to : - secure donor financing to effectively implement FAO fisheries instruments and guidelines including those on fighting IUU fishing, minimize catch of non-target species, enhance safety and working conditions at sea.

20. FAO’s assistance to the Pacific • Technical assistance in fisheries: • Strengthen technical capacity of the FAO team in the Pacific (relocation of two technical officer one of whom will the most senior (P5) in the Multidisciplinary Team); • Commitment to working with and through regional institutions to add value • Committing funds to this work when requested to do so by member countries.

21. Conclusion • SSF key for food security and nutrition and livelihoods in the region • SSF Guidelines provide guidance on SSF governance and development • In line with principles and priorities identified for the Region • FAO available to explore how to regionalize the SSF Guidelines implementation through BGI and through TCP • SPC (and other partners such as LLMA fro specific aspects) important regional partner for this venture

22. THANK YOU SSF Guidelines www.fao.org/3/a-i4356e.pdf