On September 10, the Vietnam Fisheries Union said that the unit attended a high-level conference on small-scale fisheries in 2026 in Rome, Republic of Italy.
The third high-level conference on small-scale fisheries in 2026 was held at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters in Rome, Republic of Italy.
The event aims to assess the implementation process of the Voluntary Guidelines on Ensuring Sustainable Small-Scale Fishing (SSF Guidelines), and at the same time identify priorities and cooperation actions in the coming time.
The conference gathered 150 international delegates, including representatives of small-scale fishermen and fishing workers, indigenous communities, state management agencies, civil society organizations, international organizations, development partners, research institutes, universities and experts.
The Vietnamese delegation was attended by representatives of the Vietnam Fisheries Union and the Center for Marine Biological Conservation and Community Development.
The discussion sessions at the Conference focused on turning the principles of the SSF Guidelines into specific actions at the national, regional and global levels, associated with the development and implementation of the National Action Plan for Small-Scale Fishing (NPOA-SSF).
Many overarching issues have been deeply analyzed such as: ensuring access to resources and livelihood space; sustainable management of aquatic resources and promoting co-management; improving satisfactory working conditions, jobs and social security; gender equality; strengthening the role of youth; adapting to climate change; access to markets, finance, technology and especially strengthening the capacity of representative organizations, the voice of fishermen in the policy-making process.
At the high-level ministerial meeting, FAO Director General Qu Dongyu emphasized that small-scale fishing plays an essential role in food security, livelihoods, poverty reduction and sustainable development globally.
Despite recognizing progress in the issuance of Action Plans in some countries, the FAO Director-General also warned of the current major challenges when small-scale fishermen are increasingly affected by environmental degradation, extreme natural disasters, climate change and competition for livelihood space with other economic sectors.
For Vietnam, especially in the context of efforts to remove the IUU "yellow card" and promote sustainable fisheries management, this is a valuable opportunity for the Vietnam Fisheries Union to learn from experience and connect with domestic and international partners.
From this forum, the Trade Union will continue to research and apply international experiences on co-management models, ensuring safety and working conditions, improving social security networks, promoting community participation and adapting to climate change in accordance with Vietnamese practices, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of the seafood industry and improving the lives of coastal communities.
