The new Partnership Agreement between the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union, that should be signed in the first half of 2022 in Apia (Samoa), will guide the relations between the two blocks for the next twenty years.
It will include a common foundation at OACPS level combined with three regional protocols for Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, to enable a focus on each of the regions’ specific needs. The EU and OACPS aim to face together global issues through this agreement, including sustainable economic growth and development, climate change, human and social development, - all of which are key challenges for ACP artisanal fisheries too. The new agreement also foresees an active role for civil society, including in the regular partnership dialogues that will regularly set priorities and agree on potential actions.
To better identify the role of civil society in the new Partnership Agreement, the EESC organized, on 16 and 17th December, the 29th OACPS-EU economic and social stakeholders’ consultations. Alifereti Tawake, chair of the Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMA) network, which works with small scale fishers and coastal communities across 7 Pacific Islands, intervened during these consultations. Mr. Tawake presented the challenges and experiences of the LMMA in the Pacific region where coastal fisheries are of great importance: The culture, food security as well as countless jobs are derived from Pacific ACP coastal marine ecosystems.
When it comes to addressing the key challenges of fisheries management and poverty alleviation, Mr Tawake insisted on the contributions coastal fishing communities can make to “nature-based solutions, ensuring communities resilience as prime objective, to ensure the resilience of our food systems”. He highlighted that the LMMA was a “pioneer in advocating for the ability of communities to lead conservation efforts with science and traditional knowledge.” He underlined the importance of networking at all levels, from the fishing community to regional bodies.
Over its 20 years of existence, one of the key achievements of the LMMA has been to work inclusively with stakeholders: “In Fiji alone, the work started with 6 communities in the late 90’. Now, 460 communities make the national network of LMMA.” Everyone is involved in the work of the LMMA, “not just the chiefs, but also our mothers who provide the care for the resources and the youth that provide the energy and are our future.” The work of the LMMA encompasses the use of “a variety of management tools, limiting destructive fishing, and reducing land based threats.”
Calling for a dialogue with decision makers is also a priority for ACP artisanal fisheries stakeholders. Recently, the LMMA and the African Confederation of Artisanal Fishing Organisations (CAOPA), which brings together men and women in artisanal fisheries from 27 African countries, have proposed to engage in a discussion with the OACPS, particularly on the occasion of the OACP Council of Ministers of Fisheries and Aquaculture, to be held in Accra in April 2022. “Our members are particularly interested to contribute, by sharing experiences and innovative initiatives, to address issues faced by ACP countries such as securing access for artisanal fisheries to coastal fisheries resources through rights-based approaches, promoting the role of women in artisanal fisheries, and protecting ACP artisanal fisheries activities in the context of the blue economy,” highlighted Alifereti Tawake, LMMA chair, and Gaoussou Gueye, CAOPA president.
With their vast networks, in depth knowledge, experiences and lessons to share, organisations such as LMMA and CAOPA highlight how the continuous, meaningful involvement of civil society will be key for the successful implementation of the future OACPS-EU Agreement when it comes to fisheries relations.
Banner photo: Artisanal fishermen fishing from the beach in Ilonde, Guinea Bissau, by Carmen Abd Ali.
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