Let us Proudly Commemorate International Year of Small Scale Fisheries & Aquaculture - 2022

International Instrument for small scale fishery

As most of you know, the small scale fishers expected to have an international instrument which would address their social, economic, environmental issues. We demand strongly for an instrument which is based on Human Rights.
Since Ocrtober 2008 starting from Bangkok consensus statement, we were engaged this process and later October 2010 we participated 3 regional consultations in Asia, Africa and Latin American countries with lot of hope and enthusism.

Today, the negotiation process was over for inter national instrument.

There is strong support from developing world except Maldives and Bangladesh.
India said they would prefer for a sub committee on fisheries and not for international instrument. but they did not objected.
Sri lanka did not share any word at the pleanery.

Many developed countries said they are not fully convinced for an international instrument though they do not object. but, they prefer to International Plan of Action. It is our surprize, the EU changed their position overnight as they said at the SSF organized side event, they do not support for an international instrument. But, they did not object to the instrument at the pleanery.

Canada, EU, USA and even NZ agreed to an instrument but not with full support. They think it should be only for the developing world and should not applicable to developed world. But, we expected this as a global in nature.

All most all the countries who supported the instrument said, this should be in voluntary in nature and not a binding instrument. Now, the final work is at the hand of drafting committee and the final work to be presented at the pleanery tomorrow at 3.30 pm.
So, we the CSOs met at the end of the sessions decided to have proactive work, if there will be an instrument to draft.

We will form a small working committee including ICSF, WFFP, WFF in it. ICSF will play the leading role where WFFP and WFF will collaborate while IPC play the role of coordination. We do hope, the work since 2008 came to a certain level of success and need to concentrate further to develop the instrument which will benefit for SSF in the world.