Irish Aid supports FiTI to increase transparency in four African SIDS

11 November 2020. Irish Aid approved today a grant to the FiTI for increasing transparency and multi-stakeholder collaboration in fisheries management among four Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in Africa: Cabo Verde, Comoros, Mauritius, and Sao Tomé and Principe.

Sven Biermann, Executive Director of the FiTI International Secretariat stated that “We are extremely thankful to Irish Aid for this support. Fisheries are critical for the development and well-being of Small Island Developing States, accounting for a large proportion of total employment and food & nutrition security. Per capita consumption of fish in SIDS is usually much higher than it is in other countries, while small-scale fisheries play a central role in livelihoods and culture. At the same time, SIDS face unique sustainable development challenges, including small populations, limited technical capabilities, vulnerability to natural disasters and external shocks, and high dependence on foreign imports. Also, the financial and human resource capabilities for effectively managing the fisheries sector are therefore often very limited. These challenges also impact sustainable fisheries management, e.g., a lack of transparency in access agreements or institutionalised multi-stakeholder collaboration. There are a number of ways the FiTI can support SIDS in enhancing transparency in fisheries management and we look very much forward to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders.”

Under this 2-year grant (total of 205.734 EUR), the FiTI will work with these four countries to raise awareness and build momentum among stakeholders from government, business and civil society regarding enhanced levels of transparency and multi-stakeholder collaboration in their marine fisheries sector. A key envisioned outcome of this grant is that by September 2022, 2x of those SIDS have been granted the “FiTI Candidate country” status by the FiTI International Board.