High Level Event to raise awareness on the human rights of small-scale fishers during World Oceans Week 2022

Thank you to the One Ocean Hub and the Food and Agricultural Organization for organizing this event. I am pleased to address you today.

As we mark UN World Ocean Week, we are reminded of the immense value that oceans bring to humanity and our collective role in ensuring their sustainable future.

Today’s focus on protecting the human rights of small-scale fishers is an important one. Fish is a key global source of food and nutritional security. It ensures a livelihood for some 59.5 million people and builds the backbone of the socio-economic wellbeing of fisher communities worldwide.

 Three years ago, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and other People Working in Rural Areas, specifically including small-scale fishers.

Yet despite this positive step, small-scale fishers and their communities often remain invisible.

And climate change, discrimination and marginalisation all intersect to threaten their basic rights.

Insecure land tenure, access to water, and marine resources. Lack of access to health care, education, social protection and adequate food and nutrition. Abusive and exploitative working conditions.  These are just some of their daily realities.

Women fishers in particular bear the brunt of discrimination and marginalization. They comprise half of the global fisheries workforce yet have less access to resources and services. They are more likely to be excluded from leadership and decision-making positions. Their tasks are often unrecognised and underpaid. They are disproportionately affected by gender-based violence.  Their legal rights are threatened in cases of divorce, death or remarriage of their spouse.

And these rights violations extend to impact not only women themselves, but also the wellbeing and survival of their families and children.

Colleagues,

Climate change, including increased floods and droughts, irregular rainfall and extreme weather events, poses enormous risks for small-scale fishers.

The warming of the oceans and movement of fish stocks has the potential to disrupt economies, displace communities, bring about conflicts, and amplify threats for the regions of the world who rely upon fishing as a vital sector of their economy.

In the Pacific for example, my Office documents how fisherfolk rights, including their right to work, has been affected by rising sea levels, extreme weather, overfishing from vessels outside the region, and non-sustainable tourist and development projects.

In Africa’s Sahel, in the Saint-Louis region of Senegal, my colleagues have reported that fishermen increasingly have no choice but to seasonally migrate to Mauritania, where fish stocks are less depleted and where there are more work opportunities.

Colleagues,

International human rights law provides a solid framework to protect the human rights of small-scale fishers.

Today, I urge countries to actively implement the Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and other People Working in Rural Areas. We have a unique opportunity to rebalance power relations in the fishing industry by promoting the rights of small-scale fishers and by addressing the discrimination and disadvantage they face.

And in implementing the Declaration, States and other actors should prioritize those who have historically been marginalised -  including older people, youth, children, racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and women - and take appropriate measures to address their problems.

             The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is also a key tool to advance the human rights of small-scale fishers.  The upcoming High Level Political Forum which will focus on Sustainable Development Goal 14, among others, as well as the UN Ocean Conference and the negotiations of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework all offer important opportunities to advance measures and policies that will protect life below water and ensure sustainable use for the benefit of present and future generations.

            States have a responsibility to reach those who have been left furthest behind and make them protagonists of the most important goals of our generation. To achieve the goals of zero hunger, fighting climate change and protecting biodiversity, the full and meaningful participation of small-scale fishers must be guaranteed.

Small-scale fishers have the right to participate in all decision-making processes that may affect their lives, lands and livelihoods. Strong and independent organizations of small-scale fishers should be respected and supported by States, and will be crucial in the achievement of these goals.

Thank you.