BY NGAGNE MBAO
Ngagne Mbao is a water and forestry engineer, specialising in fisheries and fish farming, and an expert in capacity building in organisational and strategic development. He is part of the African confederation of Artisanal Fisheries Organisations (CAOPA) technical support team. He represented CFFA at the 8e meeting of OACPS Ministers of Fisheries.
From 9 to 13 September 2024, Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) hosted the 8th meeting of OACPS Ministers Responsible for Oceans, Inland Waters and Fisheries.
Delegations from 34 Member States, representatives of ten regional organisations, as well as international partners and representatives of civil society discussed the theme of "Accelerating action for sustainable and resilient oceans, fisheries and aquaculture in OACPS countries and regions". The African Confederation of Professional Organisations of Artisanal Fisheries (CAOPA), the only professional organisation attending and representing small-scale fishing (SSF) communities from ACP countries, was able to voice its concerns. The meeting was followed by a forum on blue foods organised by FISH4ACP, a project of OACPS and implemented by FAO, that highlighted the need to transform food systems to meet the global challenges of preserving the marine environment.
To launch the meeting, Tanzania's Deputy Minister of Livestock and Fisheries, Hon. Abdallah Hamis Ulega, made a strong appeal to the senior officials present: "We must not turn a blind eye to safeguard the interests of small-scale fishing communities". He stressed the importance of the ocean for the survival of coastal communities and the need to act in the face of the growing threats to marine ecosystems. Cristelle Pratt, Under-Secretary General of the OACPS, emphasized "the need for international cooperation to move towards greater sustainability and resilience".
The challenges facing small-scale fisheries: resilience, equity, and protection
The discussions that followed shed light on how climate change affects coastal communities, especially in the Pacific and Caribbean islands. In Africa, the situation is critical, particularly in the Great Lakes region and on the Atlantic coast. To overcome these obstacles, priority has been given to local stakeholders, with particular emphasis on women, by facilitating access to markets, land, and finance. The creation of areas co-managed by SSF communities, protected from threats such as industrial fishing and competing blue-economy activities, was also highlighted.
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is another scourge that dangerously undermines the efforts of OACPS members and threatens SSF communities. There is an urgent need to implement transparent and binding measures against all those involved in IUU fishing, irrespective of their origin. This will require political will and commitment on the part of governments, as well as regional and international cooperation in partnership with small-scale fishing communities as part of participatory surveillance.
The African Confederation of Professional Organisations of Artisanal Fisheries (CAOPA), the only professional organisation attending and representing the SSF sector from ACP countries, was able to voice its concerns. Photo by Ngagne Mbao.
In January 2024, during the FAO Sub-Committee on Fisheries Management in January 2024, the African SSF sector reiterated that participatory surveillance can work only if, on one hand, SSF communities are provided with adequate equipment that enable them to directly alert the authorities of suspicious activities and, one the other hand, the roles and responsibilities of SSF communities and the authorities are clearly defined.
The participants also addressed the subject of good governance, in particular the issue of transparency. To build sustainable partnerships with mutual benefits at national, regional, and international level, it is essential to promote transparency, accountability, and stakeholder participation. This means exchanging information, sharing scientific and technological knowledge, and making laws and regulations and any other legal provisions applying to fisheries available in local languages. To support them in this process of transparency and participation, OACPS Member States have been encouraged to join the FITI initiative.
The OACPS must speak with one voice
During debates on international agreements, the importance of speaking with one voice to influence global decisions was highlighted. The agreement on the conservation of marine biodiversity, the WTO agreement on Fisheries Subsidies and the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) are all crucial events where the OACPS must make its voice heard.
The importance of these agreements, frameworks and events no longer needs to be demonstrated; unfortunately, only governments are involved. Local communities, who will be most affected by these decisions, are often excluded from the discussions. Their content and consequences, even if positive, are poorly understood at national level. There is a need for capacity building at all levels for governments to become actively involved in the negotiation and implementation of international agreements. The challenges identified relate to the lack of capacity, infrastructure, partnership and knowledge-sharing, including the consequences of these agreements for SSF communities.
For example, the provisions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) can sometimes affect fishing communities that depend on certain protected species. These coastal communities therefore need to be made more aware of the provisions of CITES. Similarly, current WTO negotiations have highlighted the negative impact of subsidies granted to vessels and operators engaged in IUU fishing and contributing to overcapacity, overfishing and unfair competition to SSF.
A huge development potential for the OACPS
On all these major issues, it was pointed out, it is imperative that the 79 OACPS Member States speak with one voice. Together, the OACPS and the EU represent more than 50% of the members of the United Nations, thanks to their privileged partnership. This strength must be exploited to take full advantage of the development potential of marine resources and promote synergies within the OACPS.
Two opportunities to speak with one voice were presented. The island states attending the meeting listed the visible and permanent effects of climate change on their lives and cultures, and called on the OACPS to support them. From now on, the climate-ocean link must be included in all programmes. The OACPS Member States must also prepare for and participate in the COP29 (11 to 22 November 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan) that brings together countries that are parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), as well as for the public hearings of the International Court of Justice on climate change, which will begin on 2 December 2024.
From 9 to 13 June 2025, UNOC3 will be held jointly by France and Costa Rica. Here too, the need for a strong rallying cry from the OACPS states on the theme of "Accelerating action and mobilising all stakeholders for the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans" was underlined.
A commitment to small-scale fishing and biodiversity
A panel on "Accelerating Actions and Partnerships to Overcome Challenges and Foster a Thriving Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector" highlighted elements of the existing partnership between the OACPS and the EU. Charlina Vitcheva, Director-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (European Commission), stressed the vital importance of fish for food security in OACPS Member States. She pointed out that "it all starts with the resource - if there are no fish, there is no fishing". She presented several EU initiatives that aim at supporting OACPS members in organising scientific assessments of their resources, but also in establishing a favourable climate for the development of sustainable fishing activities, citing projects such as PESCAO, ECOFISH and FISH4ACP.
“When it is demonstrated that the conservation of biodiversity is a direct result of the establishment of areas reserved for small-scale fishing, prohibited to industrial fishing, co-managed by fishers and the Ministry of Fisheries, then these areas should be considered by our States as contributions to the “30 x 30” objective.””
On the same panel, Gaoussou Gueye, President of CAOPA, stressed that a major challenge is to guarantee a place for the SSF sector in the blue economy: "It is essential that the OACPS helps its members to implement mechanisms that secure access to land and to fisheries resources for the men and women of SSF communities vis-à-vis the more powerful sectors of the blue economy".
He also insisted on the importance of fully co-managed areas reserved for artisanal fishing: "SSF communities have already been involved in biodiversity conservation for a long time: they maintain or restore local ecosystems and engage in local or community-based fisheries management for the benefit of local populations... As such, SSF communities are allies of OACPS Member States in achieving their commitment to effectively conserve 30% of the land and sea by 2030 (30 x 30)". He supported the idea that "when it is demonstrated that the conservation of biodiversity is a direct result of the establishment of areas reserved for small-scale fishing, prohibited to industrial fishing, co-managed by fishers and the Ministry of Fisheries, then these areas should be considered by our States as contributions to the "30 x 30" objective."
These points raised by CAOPA are core elements of the Call to Action defended by SSF professional organisations in ACP countries. This call clearly illustrates the lead that professionals now have over institutions and governments, and sends out a strong message: there are enough frameworks and texts today; we need to speed up and take action.
The institutions present – FAO, EU, IFAD and German Development Cooperation – reviewed their various forms of support for the sector, and renewed their commitment with regards to the mobilisation of the financial resources available at their level that can support the acceleration of actions and promote sustainable fisheries and aquaculture.
Forum on blue foods: towards innovative solutions
The meeting of OACPS Ministers was followed by a Blue Food Forum organised by FISH4ACP, which looked at how aquatic food value chains can help transform food systems and feed a growing world population while safeguarding the health of the planet. The forum had an interesting format, allowing for exchanges of experience and discussions on good practice during plenary sessions, workshops, and exhibitions from the twelve countries where the project is underway.
According to Manuel Barange, Assistant Director General of the FAO, 35% of the world's population lives in extreme poverty, with 10% undernourished. For FAO, one of the solutions to the food crisis is to use blue foods. To develop this approach, Barange mentioned the need to establish a favourable environment at national and international level; and have the political will and good governance. He also commented on the challenges to be met: access to finance, access to markets, access to technology, sharing knowledge in languages accessible to communities, and ownership by communities.
A vote was held, after which the Néma Bah women's project (Yoonu Diofior - Toubacouta - Senegal) was awarded the prize for the best "Social inclusion in the value chain" initiative. As a reminder, CAOPA works with these women involved in oyster farming through its mangrove restoration and reforestation programme.
Banner photo: A pirogue on the Mansoa river in Guinea Bissau.
Closing the funding gap for biodiversity conservation is one of the critical topics at the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), hosted in Colombia in October 2024. The funding gap has been estimated at $700 billion in Goal D of the Kunming-Montreal Agreement, based on a report, “Financing Nature”, published in 2020. Taking the example of fisheries and ocean conservation, this article shows the $700 billion figure is based on highly dubious calculations and assumptions. The author argues the funding gap report is not a serious effort to estimate the needs for supporting conservation efforts. Instead, it is a performative publication marketing opportunities for private investment and market-based mechanisms. Therefore, the $700 billion figure should be rejected by those opposed to the continuing financialisation of conservation.