The twenty-ninth session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI 29) was held in Rome, 31 January to 4 February 2011.
CFFA and other support NGOs facilitated the attendance of many small-scale fisheries representatives from around the world in order to defend their interests and voice their concerns to national delegations officials and intergovernmental organizations, including on the item 10 of the session’s agenda on the creation of an international instrument for small-scale fisheries.
At this occasion, CFFA’s African partners, from which many are now members of the African Confederation of Small-scale Fisheries Professional Organizations (CAOPA) reiterated the principles and recommendations of the Banjul Civil Society Declaration drafted in September 2010 during the first Conference of African Ministers of Fisheries and Aquaculture. The AU (African Union) and NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa’s Development) have recognized the importance of this declaration that will be taken into consideration in their work.
In view of the important role played by small-scale fisheries the Committee approved the development of a new international instrument on small-scale fisheries to complement the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF), drawing on relevant existing instruments. The Committee agreed that the new instrument could take the form of an international guidelines, be voluntary in nature, address both inland and marine fisheries and focus on the needs of developing countries. The Committee recommended that all stakeholders be associated, as appropriate, with its development.