The Kiribati Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources Development, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with INFOFISH and Pacific Community (SPC) joined efforts to organize a side event to promote the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 (IYAFA2022). The celebration took place on 25 August 2022, on the sidelines of the 19th Regional Fisheries Forum Meeting held on Tarawa. The side event promoted IYAFA 2022 and its key messages to the high-level delegations which included regional Fisheries Ministers and distinguished delegates from 13 Pacific countries.

Mr Michael Savins, CTA for the FishFAD project in FAO Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands (FAO SAP) provided opening remarks and the Director of Coastal Fisheries Division in Kiribati, Ms Tooreka Temari gave a presentation outlining what IYAFA is all about. Mr Ekueta Ieremia, one of the country’s leading artisanal fishers spoke passionately about his life as an artisanal fisher and a boat builder in Kiribati.

The Fisheries Ministers and other delegates then visited the IYAFA booth where they were presented with an assortment of IYAFA branded communications and knowledge management products as well as packs of boutique packaged tuna jerky. They were all very impressed with the taste of the tuna sausages and tuna samosas that were also available at the booth. All tuna products were made by community fish processing activities and tuna was caught by small-scale artisanal fishers. Te Keang ni Marawa (translates as Grass of the Sea), a traditional dance troupe, performed several traditional dances for the occasion. Each delegate received a "te itera," a unique floral garland made in the tradition of Kiribati, as part of the greeting dance.

The IYAFA booth was open during the whole five-day convention with the special day scheduled for Thursday, 25 August. The “artisanal fisheries and aquaculture”  booth featured a fisherman mending a flying fish net and a two-man outrigger canoe among other items and displays. In the backdrop, educational videos were playing on two big screens.

With such highlevel regional Fisheries Ministers and officials showing such tremendous responsiveness and interest, the team believes the event was a true success. “The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2022 the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022). FAO is the lead agency for celebrating the Year in collaboration with other relevant organizations and bodies of the United Nations system.

Celebrating IYAFA 2022 acknowledges the millions of small-scale fishers, fish farmers and fish workers who provide healthy and nutritious food to billions of people and contribute to achieving Zero Hunger. IYAFA 2022 aims to focus global attention on the role that small-scale fishers, fish farmers and fish workers play in food security and nutrition, poverty eradication and sustainable use of natural resources – thereby increasing world-wide understanding and action to collaboratively support them”.