unpacking a human rights-based approach to small-scale fisheries:

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Unpacking a human rights-based approach to small-scale fisheries: How the integrated protection of substantive and procedural human rights can contribute to achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals

Key messages:

• Implementing the SSF Guidelines in accordance with the human rights-based approach means ensuring the protection and promotion of the procedural and substantive rights of small-scale fishers, fishworkers and their communities.
• Holistic protection of procedural and substantive rights of small-scale fishers can contribute to policy coherence (SDG 17), coordinated application of international obligations, and SDG co-benefits;
• Small-scale fishers’ procedural human rights (SDG 16) include specific guarantees for indigenous peoples, peasants, women, children and environmental human rights defenders;
• Small-scale fishers’ substantive rights are inter-dependent (tenure, livelihoods, food, water, culture, health: SDGs 1-6) and their integrated protection can enhance also environmental management (SDGs 13-15) to the benefit of everyone’s right to a healthy environment.
• IYAFA provides a great opportunity to: raise awareness about the human rights challenges of small-scale fishers, fishworkers and their communities; build new and strengthen partnerships around the protection of human rights in the sector; and amplify the voices of human rights-holders in the small-scale fisheries sector.