IIED at the UN Ocean Conference

Conference

IIED and partners will be hosting and participating in several events at the UN Ocean Conference from 27 June to 1 July, in Lisbon, Portugal.

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Lisbon, Portugal
Last updated 16 June 2022
A man paddles in a small boat close to the side of a river.

An artisanal fisher in action by the Ucayali river, Peru (Photo: Juan Carlos Huayllapuma/CIFOR, via Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

The ocean covers 70% of the Earth’s surface and is home to up to 80% of all life. It generates 50% of the oxygen we need, absorbs 25% of all carbon dioxide emissions and captures 90% of the additional heat generated from those emissions. 

The first UN Ocean Conference, in 2017, was seen as a game changer in alerting the world to the ocean’s problems.

The UN Ocean Conference is designed to provide a space for the international community to push for the adoption of innovative, science-based solutions for the sustainable management of the oceans.

2022 is also the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022). IIED is a supporter of IYAFA 2022, whose vision statement is “a world in which small-scale artisanal fishers, fishfarmers and fish workers are fully recognised and empowered to continue their contributions to human wellbeing, healthy food systems and poverty eradication through the responsible and sustainable use of fisheries and aquaculture resources.”

IIED’s researchers and partners will be among those in Lisbon showing how small-scale fisheries and aquaculture are crucial to people’s nutrition, food security, sustainable livelihoods and wellbeing worldwide.


Saturday, 25 June 2022 

Oceans media workshop – reporting on Lisbon

Press briefing 

Hosted by: China Dialogue Trust and Earth Journalism Network

IIED’s Cristina Pita will be on a panel discussing the challenges and solutions to sustainable fisheries, looking at: illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; subsidies; governance; small-scale fisheries; technology and capacity-building. This is an invitation-only event for journalists from developing countries.


Monday, 27 June 2022

Small in scale, big in value: stocktaking, partnerships and solutions in support of small-scale fisheries 

Side event

Time: 11.30am-12.45pm
Venue: Side event room 1
Hosted by: Government of Peru with Sweden, Norway and FAO
Partners: Including IIED; members of the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA) 2022 International Steering Committee (ISC); and official IYAFA 2022 supporters

Speakers: Including Mario Jesus Cavero Polo, vice ministry of Fishing and Aquaculture, Peru, IYAFA 2022 ISC chair; minister of international development, Norway; IPC Working Group on Fisheries member; minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Indonesia; Shakuntala Thilsted, WorldFish, Winner of the 2021 World Food Prize; Tanzania government representative; Chef Rodrigo Pacheco, Latin America; Manuel Barange, director, Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, FAO 

Small-scale fishers, fish farmers and fish workers hold enormous potential to promote transformative changes in how, by whom and for whom fish and fishery products are produced, processed and distributed – with positive ripple effects felt throughout the global food system. 

The IYAFA 2022 UN Oceans side event will provide information to delegates to inform their deliberations on Sustainable Development Goal 14 while emphasising interlinkages between the goals towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. It will take participants on an inspiring journey across regions, told by fishers, fish workers, policymakers and others on how to provide access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets.

Related reading: Increasing the visibility of artisanal small-scale fishers, fish farmers and fish workers


Wednesday, 29 June 2022

Sustainable fishing: solutions and innovations to help developing economy and small-scale fisheries in Indonesia and beyond

Side event

Time: 10-11am
Venue: Pacifico 1+2, Hotel Melia Lisboa Oriente, Avenida Dom João II, 1990-083 Lisbon
Hosted by: Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), government of Indonesia

Over a third of global fish stocks are overfished. However, there is growing evidence that fishing sustainably protects the ocean and can support communities and economies dependent on fishing indefinitely. But small-scale fisheries and developing economies often lack the investment, data, management structures and knowledge to ensure sustainable fishing.

These countries are also disproportionately reliant on fishing for economic growth, livelihoods and food. Fifty-four per cent of the global export value of fish comes from developing economies: they account for most of the world’s 39 million wild capture fishing jobs, primarily within small-scale fisheries and fish provides over 50% of the protein intake in many developing economies. As a result, failure to support these vital fisheries threatens the delivery of multiple SDG targets. 

At a panel discussion which will include IIED’s Cristina Pita, participants will hear from Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries in Indonesia, about the Indonesian government’s work with the Marine Stewardship Council and others to identify challenges facing fisheries, gather better data and develop a fisheries action plan resulting in 50 Fisheries Improvement Projects bringing together stakeholders from industry, NGOs and government to help fisheries move towards better management practices.

This event will be held in person and has limited space. Registration is essential

Related reading: The contribution of small-scale artisanal fisheries and aquaculture to food systems