Ecuador develops first FiTI Report in the Americas
Recently, FiTI Latin America Regional Coordinator Mr Nicolás Rovegno travelled to Ecuador to represent the FiTI International Secretariat at Ecuador’s 6th Meeting of the National Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG). The National MSG met to approve Ecuador’s first FiTI Report, which covers information for 2022 – 2023 and marks an important milestone for the implementation of the FiTI Standard in the Americas.
During the meeting, members – which include representatives from government, civil society, and large- and small-scale fishers – provided feedback on the accuracy and completeness of the report, ranging from comments on fishing access regimes to observations on the status of fisheries. This feedback will be added to the final version of the report, along with minor copy edits. The reviewed FiTI Report is planned to be launched during September 2024. The National MSG also reached agreements on suggested recommendations, which are designed to help Ecuador meet the 12 transparency requirements of the FiTI Standard and improve fisheries transparency in the country.
Mr Rovegno highlighted the fundamental importance of the active participation of the members of the FiTI Ecuador National MSG, underscoring the commitment of this group in leading the implementation of the FiTI Standard in Ecuador. “These dialogue spaces are essential for bringing together actors from the fishing sector, civil society and the public sector, whose collaboration is key to agreeing on actions that improve transparency levels and contribute to the sustainability of the fishing sector.”
While in Ecuador, Mr. Rovegno met with members from WildAid to discuss potential opportunities to coordinate workshops and meetings with representatives in Galapagos to discuss fisheries transparency issues in the area. Meeting with representatives from the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), he also discussed opportunities to continue working jointly on fisheries transparency in Ecuador with these organisations.
Reflecting on the report, UNODC Regional Officer Carla Suárez remarked, “We hope that this report will be a practical and guiding document, and that the recommendations will lead to concrete actions for improvement and joint work between institutions, academia, and other relevant actors, as well as channelling resources to address critical bottlenecks in the fishing value chain.”
This meeting was organised in partnership with the UNODC, which also supported the preparation of the FiTI Report, with support from USAID.
