FAO takes the opportunity at the 2022 Ocean Dialogue to highlight the high vulnerability of small-scale fishers and fish farmers to climate change

Climate change is impacting food production from freshwater, coastal and open ocean marine ecosystems, and small-scale fishing and fish farming communities in developing countries are among the most vulnerable. In this context, FAO is actively contributing to international climate discussions to ensure that aquatic food systems are addressed within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

UNFCCC is a convention with near-universal membership that provides a framework for global response to the threat of climate change. The Conference of Parties (COP) is the supreme decision-making body of the convention, and it relies on the permanent subsidiary body – the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) – for advice on scientific and technological matters.

The ocean gained excellent momentum at the last two COPs, driven by efforts of the ocean community including FAO. As a result, COP25, also known as the “Blue COP”, requested SBSTA to convene an Ocean Dialogue to consider how to strengthen adaptation and mitigation action, which took place on 02-03 December 2020. Building on outcomes of the 2020 Ocean Dialogue, COP26 mandated an annual Ocean Dialogue to be held by the SBSTA starting in 2022 and requested relevant UNFCCC work programmes and constituted bodies to consider how to integrate and strengthen ocean-based action. The ocean has thus become an official topic under the UNFCCC, and the first annual Ocean Dialogue took place on 15 June 2022 in Bonn, Germany, during the 56th session of SBSTA.

FAO contributed to both Ocean Dialogues with active participation. Its interventions were meant to raise awareness on the importance of fisheries and aquaculture as a vital source of food, livelihoods and export income. By showcasing action on the ground, FAO featured the potential of transforming aquatic food systems as part of solution to achieve sustainability and climate resilience. Bearing in mind that 2022 has been declared as the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022) by the United Nations, FAO also took the opportunity at the 2022 Ocean Dialogue to highlight the high vulnerability of small-scale fishers and fish farmers to climate change and call for more inclusive, equitable climate decision and policy making.

Shedding light on aquatic food production in the international climate discussions can be instrumental in unlocking climate finance for mitigation and adaptation in fisheries and aquaculture, for the benefit of communities especially small-scale producers. Therefore, FAO will continue to increase the visibility of aquatic food systems and feature the importance of small-scale fisheries and aquaculture under UNFCCC including at the forthcoming Africa Climate Week 2022 and COP27 (7-18 November 2022, Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt). FAO is also working to promote the inclusion of freshwater fisheries and aquaculture in climate discussions including under UNFCCC, with the aim of creating a more prominent and holistic space for aquatic food production in national and international climate policies.