Social Aspects of Fisheries: Implementation of the Outcomes of the Summits on Sustainable Development Sebastian Mathew International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) 12th Meeting of the United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea June 2011, New York

To equitably meet the developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations recognizing that fish is an important source of animal protein for millions of people and is an essential component in the fight against malnutrition and hunger Overall Goal of Sustainable Development

The successful implementation of Agenda 21 is first and foremost the responsibility of governments National strategies, plans, policies and processes are identified as crucial in achieving this with: – International cooperation and the broadest public participation – Active involvement of NGOs and other groups Implementation of 1992 UNCED

Sought integration of the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development in a balanced manner Reiterated commitment to the implementation of the Agenda 21 along with other internationally agreed development goals such as the Millennium Development Goals Encouraged the adoption of an ecosystem approach by 2010 Wanted stocks to be maintained or restored at levels that can produce the MSY by 2015 Sought establishment of representative networks of MPAs by 2012 Required effective implementation of relevant United Nations and associated regional fisheries agreements and to implement the 1995 FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries Sought elimination of subsidies that contributed to IUU fishing and to over-capacity; and to complete the efforts undertaken at WTO to clarify and improve its disciplines on fisheries subsidies 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development

The share of fully exploited, overexploited, depleted or recovering fish stocks has increased to 85 per cent in 2008— the highest percentage recorded since the mid-1970s (SOFIA 2010) with implications for continued availability of marine fish as a source of micronutrients and animal protein Environmental and social problems identified by Agenda 21 facing fisheries under national jurisdiction have not improved much even after several summits (they include: local overfishing, unauthorized incursions by foreign fleets, ecosystem degradation, excessive fleet sizes, insufficiently selective gear, unreliable databases, and increasing competition between artisanal and large-scale fishing, and between fishing and other types of activities) State of Marine Fishery Resources in 2008

Reasons for Poor Implementation of Summit Resolutions and National Measures Lack of state capability Insufficient scientific knowledge Lack of political commitment Poor governance

Good Governance Good governance is essential for sustainable development (2002 Monterrey Consensus of the International Conference on Financing for Development; also WSSD), however, often overlooked Build inclusive governance structures on principles of equity, sustainability and respect for human rights Develop governance structures where govts, communities, fishworkers, women and indigenous groups can collaborate for fisheries conservation and management using scientific, local, traditional and indigenous knowledge, in a bottom-up manner Extend ODA to help the process of capacity-building and human resource development in developing countries Proposed FAO international voluntary guidelines on securing sustainable small-scale fisheries in 2014 should focus on addressing the governance deficit in small-scale fisheries, especially in developing countries, including small island developing countries

Conclusions Precursory governance structures can provide the institutional scaffolding to achieve sustainable use and conservation of marine living resources under national jurisdiction, especially to fight malnutrition and hunger They are also an essential pre-requisite to build the three pillars of sustainable development, namely, economic development, social development and environmental protection They can help to better implement the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development of relevance to sustainable use of fisheries, therefore, Propose a time frame for adoption of governance structures in fisheries, especially in developing countries

Thank you!