Central American sub-regional meeting on the implementation of the SSF Guidelines

The meeting was an important milestone for the Central America Fisheries and Aquaculture Organization (OSPESCA) member countries Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama to continue their regional approach to implement the SSF Guidelines.

A working group has been established for this purpose already in 2015, which brings together OSPESCA (through one member country), the regional small-scale fisheries federation CONFESPESCA and FAO. Countries reported on a number of activities that demonstrate how to operationalize the SSF Guidelines, including for example the preparation of a draft law in Costa Rica, peer-to-peer learning exchanges among women in fisheries in the region, and the existence of a social protection system that includes small-scale fishers in the Dominican Republic.

This meeting was enriched by the presence of fisher representatives from Colombia and Mexico, to broaden the sharing of experiences. This helped in the discussion on priority issues to address in the region through a regional project on small-scale fisheries. In addition, the Alliance of Indigenous Fishers of Central America participated and it was agreed that this Alliance will join the working group.