SEAFDEC PROGRAMS OF ACTIVITIES IN 2019
5. Strategy V: Addressing cross-cutting issues, such as labor, gender and climate change, where related to international fisheries
5. Strategy V: Addressing cross-cutting issues, such as labor, gender and
international fish trade-related issues and requirements, and subsequently enhance the understanding and capacity of the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Member Countries in addressing such issues. The Project also provides the platform for the development of common views among the countries, and makes sure that such views and the Southeast Asian region’s specificity, especially with respect to the fisheries sector, is reflected during the discussions at appropriate regional and international fora.
One of the most crucial responsibilities of the Project is to monitor the proposals for listing of commercially-exploited aquatic species (CEAS) in the Appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and organize consultations for addressing the relevant issues that could impact on the sustainability of the region’s fisheries. In so-doing, the Project facilitates the development of common/
coordinated positions of the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Member Countries toward the proposals for listing of CEAS into the CITES Appendices, especially those that have been proposed for discussion at the 18th Session of the Conference of the Parties to CITES in 2019. Toward this end, the SEAFDEC Secretariat organized the “Regional Consultation for Development of the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Common Position on the Proposed Listing of Commercially-exploited Aquatic Species into the CITES Appendices” on 30-31 January 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand, where the proposals for listing of five CEAS into the CITES Appendix II were discussed. As a result, the AMSs agreed on the common position to oppose the proposal for inclusion of short-fin Mako shark, Isurus oxyrinchus and long-fin Mako shark Isurus paucus in Appendix II.
SEAFDEC then shared the results of the Regional Consultation during the meeting of the “ASEAN Working Group on CITES and Wildlife Network Meeting” on 2-4 April 2019 in Sandakan, Malaysia. Subsequently, SEAFDEC supported the participation of Member Countries’ representatives, i.e. one each from Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Viet Nam, to the 18th Session of the Conference of the Parties to CITES on 16-28 August 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Participants of the Regional Consultation for Development of the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Common Position on the Proposed Listing of Commercially-exploited Aquatic Species into the CITES Appendices
(30-31 January 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand)
Furthermore, SEAFDEC also participated and provided technical inputs in international events in 2019 that discussed international fisheries-related issues that could possibly have implications in the development of fisheries of the region. These include:
• Fifth Global Record Working Group Meeting (organized by FAO on 13-14 May 2019 in Seoul, Republic of Korea)
• Second Meeting of the Parties to the PSMA, and Third Meeting of the Part 6 Working Group (organized by FAO on 3-6 June, and 7 June 2019, respectively, in Santiago, Chile)
• FAO Workshop on Best Practices to Prevent and Reduce Abandoned, Lost or Otherwise Discarded Fishing Gear (organized by FAO on 8-11 July 2019 in Bali, Indonesia)
• Seventeenth Session of the FAO/COFI Sub-Committee on Fish Trade (organized by FAO on 25-29 November 2019 in Vigo, Spain)
SEAFDEC participants during the 17th Session of the FAO/COFI Sub-Committee on Fish Trade (25-29 November 2019, Vigo, Spain)
Also through this Project, SEAFDEC pursued several activities related to the directives given by the SEAFDEC Council, such as the review of the Resolution and Plan of Action on Sustainable Fisheries for Food Security for the ASEAN Region Towards 2020 (RES&POA-2020) which was adopted by the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Member Countries in 2011. In this regard, SEAFDEC Secretariat organized the “Meeting on Way Forward of the Resolution
& Plan of Action 2020” on 1-2 May 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand to review the document and identify the anticipated issues for the coming decade that should be accommodated in the document. Based on the recommendations and views shared during the first meeting, SEAFDEC subsequently developed a revised draft RES&POA Towards 2030 which was presented during the “ASEAN-SEAFDEC Regional Meeting on the Resolution and Plan of Action for ASEAN Region Towards 2030” on 10-11 September 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand.
After the deliberations, the Meeting came up with the revised draft RES&POA-2030, which was submitted to the 42nd Meeting of the SEAFDEC Program Committee and the 22nd Meeting of the FCG/ASSP in November 2019, for consideration and endorsement to the SEAFDEC Council and the ASEAN in 2020.
ASEAN-SEAFDEC Regional Meeting on the Resolution and Plan of Action for ASEAN Region Towards 2030 (10-11 September 2019, Bangkok, Thailand)
Achievements: Monitoring and enhancing awareness on international fisheries-related issues
The ASEAN-SEAFDEC member countries had the opportunity to discuss and develop common/coordinated positions that had been reflected at relevant international fora, especially those on the issues that could impact on fisheries development of the region, which was made possible through the SEAFDEC Project “Assistance for Capacity Building in the Region to Address International Fish Trade-related Issues.” Specifically the Project facilitated the development of the following outputs:
• 2013: ASEAN-SEAFDEC Common/Coordinated Positions Addressed at the CITES- CoP16 on the proposed listing of commercially-exploited aquatic species into the CITES Appendices and the proposed amendment of the rule of procedure on secret balloting (developed through the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Regional Consultation on Common/Coordinated Position of the Commerciall-exploited Aquatic Species at the CITES-CoP16, 23 January 2013, Bangkok, Thailand)
Meeting on the Way Forward for the Resolution & Plan of Action 2020 (1-2 May 2019, Bangkok, Thailand)
5.2 Integration of gender in fisheries sector
SEAFDEC had embarked on several activities toward gender mainstreaming with a view to promoting gender in fisheries and ensuring that women and men gain equal benefits from fisheries management programs and projects. At the outset, a Gender Focal Person from SEAFDEC/TD was designated and trained to spearhead the activities that focused on capacity building of the whole SEAFDEC staff on gender concepts. Meanwhile, research programs were also conducted to understand the gender context in fishing communities, the results of which were used as guide for the fisheries management projects on gender integration in fisheries. In 2019, SEAFDEC continued its momentum on gender mainstreaming by designating the respective SEAFDEC Gender Focal Persons (SGFP) for the SEAFDEC Secretariat and Departments. The activities on gender mainstreaming at SEAFDEC were also strengthened with support from three projects, i.e. the Fisheries and Habitat Management, Climate Change and Social Well-being in Southeast Asia (SEAFDEC-Sweden Project), the Oceans and Fisheries Partnership (USAID Oceans), and the Establishment and Operation of a Regional System of Fisheries Refugia in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand.
To sustain the gender mainstreaming in SEAFDEC as an organization, the SEAFDEC-Sweden Project supported the development of the “SEAFDEC Gender Strategy,” which was initiated in 2018 and approved by the SEAFDEC Council at its 51st Meeting (18-22 March 2019, Surabaya, Indonesia). Subsequently, the “Workshop on the Development of the Action Plan for SEAFDEC Gender Strategy” was organized by SEAFDEC which came up with the Action Plan for the SEAFDEC Gender Strategy, the common key indicators to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Gender Strategy, and the revised Terms of Reference for SGFPs.
The SEAFDEC-Sweden Project also supported the development of the “Practical Guide for Gender Analysis in Small-scale Fisheries and Aquaculture in Southeast Asia” to be used by program/project managers, researchers, and fishery officers of the countries in Southeast Asia and fisheries-related organizations including SEAFDEC to support the formulation of programs/projects that are gender-sensitive and/or gender-responsive as appropriate. (see 7.1, under Addressing cross-cutting issues)
• 2016: ASEAN-SEAFDEC Countries’ Positions on Inclusion of the Commercially-exploited Aquatic Species (CEAS) addressed at the CITES Appendix at CoP-17 (developed through the Expert Meeting on Assessment of the Proposed Listing Commercially Exploited Aquatic Species to the CITES Appendix, 16-17 May 2016, organized back to back with the Regional Consultation for Development of the Common Position on the Proposed Listing Commercially Exploited Aquatic Species to the CITES Appendix, on 19-20 May 2016)
• 2018: Summary of Gaps and Issues raised at the Thirty-third Session of COFI (developed through the Regional Technical Consultation on International Fisheries Related Issues, 20-22 June 2018, Bangkok, Thailand)
• 2019: Positions of the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Member Countries on the Proposed Listing of Commercially-exploited Aquatic Species into the CITES Appendices at the CITES- CoP18 (developed through the Regional Consultation for Development of the ASEAN- SEAFDEC Common Position on the Proposed Listing of Commercially-exploited Aquatic Species into the CITES Appendices,” 30-31 January 2019, Bangkok, Thailand)
6. Strategy VI: Empowering SEAFDEC to strengthen its roles in the region