How can academic researchers, UN agencies and civil society support small-scale fishers’ customary tenure rights, human rights and social development needs? This was the key question at the much anticipated and pivotal event for the global small-scale fisheries sector, the 2^nd Small-Scale Fisheries Summit, which took place in Rome from 5-7 July 2024. Hub Deputy Director, Philile Mbatha, was invited to present at the Summit, which marked ten years since the FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security (SSF Guidelines) were adopted. The SSF Guidelines emphasise the need to understand “Life above water”, made up of human experiences in the small-scale fisheries sector that tend to be firmly rooted in local communities, as well as values, customs and traditions of small-scale fishers.  

Background 

Between the years 2010 and 2013, the FAO convened a global process involving more than 4,000 representatives from governments, small-scale fishers, fish workers and their organisations, researchers and academics, development practitioners and other relevant stakeholders, from more than 120 countries in multiple regional and national consultative meetings.  Leading up to the year 2015, the SSF Guidelines were developed under the visionary principle and objective of a “whole of government and whole of society approach” and based on recommendations derived from a bottom-up participatory development process of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI).  

The first SFF Summit was held in Rome in 2022. The purpose of the 2^nd Summit in July 2024 was not only to commemorate the 10^th anniversary of the SSF Guidelines, but also to assess and advance their implementation at the global, regional and country scales. Another priority of the Summit was to “collaboratively address governance and development challenges in small-scale fisheries while proposing and sharing solutions to foster and strengthen the implementation of the SSF Guidelines”. In keeping with this, the content of the 2^nd Summit was mainly informed by Chapters 5a and 6 of the SSF Guidelines that respectively underline: responsible governance of tenure, centering on customary tenure; and social development, employment, and decent work, with an emphasis on social development.  

The Summit was organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), together with partners including the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean, the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty, the Small-Scale Fisheries Resource and Collaboration Hub and SwedBio. 

Structure 

The SSF Summit agenda was divided into three days: with Day 1 reserved for small-scale fisheries organisations and movements only (approximately 150 people), while Day 2 and Day 3 were open to invitees from academia, environmental NGOs, decision-making institutions and from other organisations. In total, there were approximately 300 attendees on Days 2 and 3. Day 1 consisted of dialogue-led sessions that revolved around customary tenure rights and social development in small-scale fisheries – with various panelists from SSF movements from different parts of the world.

Day 2 began with commemorating the 10^th anniversary of the SSF Guidelines, followed by various dialogues, discussions and panels expanding on customary tenure rights and social development themes in the context of food sovereignty. Day 3 had a nuanced focus on what is needed to support the implementation of the SSF Guidelines in different contexts, moving forward. This was a pivotal discussion as the SSF Guidelines are aimed at not only FAO members and non-members, but also States, private sector, NGOs, SSF communities, research and academic institutions and all actors and sectors that interact with small-scale fisheries.  

Reflections  

One of the key issues that stood out from discussions on Days 2 and 3 was the poor implementation of the Guidelines (including the values and ideals it promotes) in various contexts around the world, even after ten years of their existence. The other challenge that was underlined was the poor recognition of customary tenure and social development in small-scale fisheries governance processes and practices. On Day 2, participants reflected on the key findings of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food in relation to the challenges faced by small-scale fishers, including unsustainable large-scale fishing, exclusionary conservation practices, and offshore oil and gas development. In addition, they heard remarks from the UN Special Rapporteur on Climate Change and Human Rights, Elisa Morgera, on the importance of recognising the knowledge systems and lived experiences of small-scale fishers as part of the evidence base for decisions on climate change. 

In one of the panels on Day 3, One Ocean Hub Deputy Director, Philile Mbatha, was invited to share reflections from One Ocean Hub on the role that academic institutions can play in the implementation of the SSF Guidelines. In her presentation to the Summit, Philile shared the innovative and transdisciplinary approaches used in One Ocean Hub research to support small-scale fishers and to promote understanding about what is needed to advance their access to their customary tenure rights, human rights and social development needs in different parts of the world where Hub research has been conducted. In her talk, Philile also highlighted One Ocean Hub’s legacy plans to advance research for development co-developed with small-scale fishing communities over the past five years.  

Closing discussions and contributions on Day 3 included a focus on the priorities for the next SSF Summit. It was apparent from this current Summit that, apart from increased challenges faced by and within the small-scale fisheries sector (including but not limited to climate change, blue growth, gender inequality and food insecurity) – there is still a long way to go in terms of realising the implementation of the SSF Guidelines at global, regional and domestic levels. More specifically,  there is  lack of inclusion and promotion of customary tenure and social development at the heart of small-scale fisheries governance and processes. 

 
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