Food security & nutrition

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In celebrating the Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture- 2022, as declared by the United Nations, Sri Lanka Forum for Small Scale Fisheries (SLFSSF) is organizing a conference under the theme “Fishing for Life”, which will be an international conference covering the South and South-East Asian region. This will be organized in partnership with Sri Lanka Association for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (SLAFAR) and the Ocean University of Sri Lanka (OCUSL). The event will be held during 19-20 September 2022, in virtual format due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation.

The conference aims to bring to light, the important contribution made by artisanal and small scale fisheries to food supply, nutrition, employment, poverty alleviation and wellbeing of the people in the region, while at the same time, unearthing issues of governance failures, including social injustices emerging from the process of blue economic development. It is expected that the conference will yield an outcome having implications for effective management measures to be adopted, to secure sustainable artisanal & small-scale fisheries and aquaculture sub-sectors in the region.

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Hello everyone! We invite you to watch this short documentary on Madame Kokoly, a traditional Vezo fisherwoman living in the Velondriake region of southwest Madagascar. This video is hosted in the SSF Hub Resource Library and is available in several languages, which can be selected underneath the “Information about Resource” tab on the right side of the screen.

Please feel free to share your reactions to the video in the discussion section (here), pose a question to other members of the SSF Hub, or respond to one of the following discussion questions:

1. Was there anything you saw in the film that you can relate to?
2. Kokoly learned many of her skills from her father when she was young. What sort of knowledge or skills related to fishing are passed down from generation to generation in your community?
3. Many members of Kokoly’s community depend on her to provide them with food from her catch. How do fishers in your community support the lives and nutritional needs of their family, friends, and neighbors?
4. In order to supplement her income, Kokoly began farming seaweed. Do local fishworkers in your community engage in alternative livelihoods to supplement their income? If so, what do they do?
5. How do women contribute to food security in your communities? Are their contributions similar or different from the contributions of men?
6. How do you think Kokoly’s community will change as there are fewer and fewer fish in the sea? What would a better future look like for her community?
7. What do you think of Kokoly’s quote: “Everything, once it's worth something, you won't see it anymore.” How does it relate to your life or the lives of your community members?

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The Global People’s Food Systems Summit will gather a broad audience of rural peoples, people’s organizations, CFOs, local farmers, and Indigenous Peoples to accelerate progress towards creating more just equitable, and sustainable food systems to support those who depend on them the most. As a counter-movement to the UN Food Systems Summit, the Global People’s Summit on Food Systems aims to put the voices of the marginalized at the forefront of agenda-setting for transforming our food systems. This Summit is open to all who share its vision of transforming our world into one with zero hunger without sacrificing the health of our planet. More information can be found at https://peoplessummit.foodsov.org.

Register here. 

View schedule of events here.

The 49th Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) will be held virtually from 11 to 14 October 2021.

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Organized shortly after the United Nations Food Systems Summit, CFS 49 will focus on the 2021 State of Food Security and Nutrition report, uptake of the CFS Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition, CFS Mutli-Year Programme of Work and other ongoing CFS workstreams and priorities.

There will be several side events hosted during CFS and the full schedule of side events can be found here. One of the side events, titled "Transforming food, land and water systems for sustainable healthy diets" aims to highlight the contributions of aquatic foods to supporting healthy diets through school feeding programs. To register for this side event, click here.

More information on CFS can be found here

Register here

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The UN Food Systems Summit was announced by the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, on World Food Day last October as a part of the Decade of Action for delivery on the SDGs by 2030. The aim of the Summit is to deliver progress on all 17 of the SDGs through a food systems approach, leveraging the interconnectedness of food systems to global challenges such as hunger, climate change, poverty and inequality. More information about the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit and list of Advisory Committee and Scientific Group members can be found online: https://www.un.org/foodsystemssummit

View the schedule of events here and register here. 

UNFSS Pre-Summit

The United Nations convened a Food Systems Pre-Summit from 26-28 July 2021 to set the stage for the upcoming UN Food Systems Summit. This series of events, held both virtually and in-person in Rome, aimed to bring together diverse actors from across the world to leverage the power of food systems to deliver progress on all 17 SDGs. Click here to access recordings of the events from the Pre-Summit. 

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Blue foods — fish, invertebrates, aquatic plants, and algae captured or cultivated in freshwater and marine ecosystems — play a central role in food and nutrition security for billions of people, yet are often left out of food system analyses, discussions, decisions, solutions, and resource allocations.

Speakers:
- Tiago Pitta e Cunha, Chief Executive Director for the Oceano Azul Foundation.
- Pip Cohen, Research Program Leader for Resilient Small-Scale Fisheries with WorldFish.
- Jim Leape, Co-Director, Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.

Moderator: Imani Fairweather Morrison, Programme Officer for Oak Foundation’s Global Small Scale Fisheries Sub-programme.

Call to Action: Richard Page, Policy Specialist, Ocean Unite, and Maria Honig, Initiative Lead Accelerating Coastal Community Led Conservation, WWF.

Join us for this webinar on 13 July 2021 at 14:00-15:00 (GMT+1) to help us realize the potential of Aquatic/Blue foods to help end malnutrition and build healthy, nature-positive, and resilient food systems.

Register Here

The World Fisheries Congress is being held in Adelaide from 20-24 September 2021.

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‘SHARING OUR OCEANS AND RIVERS – A VISION FOR THE WORLD’S FISHERIES’

Held every four years, the 8th World Fisheries Congress will be the largest gathering of research, industry and management sectors to discuss the latest advances in fisheries world-wide. The World Fisheries Congress is the key international fisheries conference.

Aiming to foster cooperation and engagement in commercial, recreational and indigenous fisheries.

Providing insightful presentations and inspiring forums on key developments needed to ensure the future sustainable development of the world’s oceans, lakes, estuaries and rivers.

The World Fisheries Congress 2021 will be held in Adelaide from 20-24 September 2021.

The Congress will be a virtual event allowing delegates to participate online, so the Congress can continue to connect the global fisheries and aquaculture community.

World Fisheries Congress is an event not to be missed.

Register Here

The IUCN Congress will be held in Marseille from 3 to 11 September 2021.

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Taking into account the current health situation, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has decided to organise a “hybrid” IUCN World Conservation Congress, thus allowing people not able to physically attend the event to follow and participate in some parts of the Congress remotely.

The French government reaffirms that it is very pleased to host this IUCN Congress on its territory, while doing its utmost to ensure that this is done under the conditions desired by IUCN and in accordance with the health protocols in force at the time of the event. 

Information on Congress preparations
Register Here 

The regionally-focused World Ocean Summit Asia-Pacific agenda will provide the platform for nuanced conversation and tailored discussion to catalyse the blue economy in the Asia-Pacific. 

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The summit will convene 100 speakers and 1000 participants virtually over five days. Dedicated tracks on shipping, marine renewable energy, plastics, aquaculture and fishing will provide insight focused on the Asia-Pacific. Plenary sessions will centre on pressing concerns for the ocean and cities, and seek solutions for climate change mitigation and the dangerous decline of biodiversity in the region. 

A full track dedicated to finance will bring together executives from across the investment community.  Speakers will share experience of innovative blue-finance mechanisms to maximise the direction of mainstream finance towards the sustainable blue economy. 

Our aim is to identify how innovation and collaboration within the region are affecting change and seek to reframe the Asia-Pacific’s relationship with the ocean, generating momentum to map the steps to increased economic prosperity and ocean restoration.

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AFRAQ2021 technical program will aim to cover developmental issues including latest research on aquaculture in Africa. The thematic plenary and technical parallel sessions will comprise submitted oral and poster presentations. AFRAQ2021 will feature an international trade exhibition, industry forums, student sessions and activities, satellite workshops (and training sessions) and various meetings/forums on aquaculture development in Egypt and Africa. The theme for this inaugural event will be “Sustainable Aquaculture - Feeding Africa”.

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Aquaculture Canada and WAS North America 2020 is the place to learn about the latest in aquaculture, see the newest technology in the trade show, and have a great time in the many fantastic restaurants and entertainment sites that St. John’s and Newfoundland and Labrador have to offer.

The conference will feature hundreds of worldclass speakers and delegates from around the globe on the science, technology, business and social aspects of aquaculture. St. John’s is located on the most eastern edge of North America, is Canada’s oldest European settlement, and the region is home to some of the most ecologically interesting areas in the World. Nearby UNESCO heritage sites, wildlife and nature conservancies make for exciting daily excursions. Historic and archival locations (one of the 4 corners of the Earth, Viking Settlements, etc.) are within 2 day excursions. This city, famous for its hospitality, music and culinary experiences is a quick trip across the Atlantic from Europe, and easily accessible from all other parts of North America, and the globe, by air. St. John’s is also home to internationally recognized centres in aquaculture and fisheries science, with Memorial University’s Fisheries and Marine Institute and Faculty of Science leading the way.

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Part of the 2021 APFIC Webinar Series

This webinar presents the findings of a joint FAO-AIT desk study on gender in small-scale fisheries and aquaculture in Asia. Both desk studies look at the division of labour between women and men in specific small-scale fisheries and aquaculture commodities supply chain, the differences with respect to their access to assets, resources and entitlements, the drivers of such differences, as well as the critical entry points and opportunities for addressing inequalities and discriminatory practices.

Register Here

Oceans of Opportunity

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Europe faces important societal challenges arising from global environmental and social-economical threats. These include climate change, depletion of natural resources including water and energy, pollution, food security and safety and human migrations. In many ways, these challenges are more obvious in Southern Europe, at the frontier between two asymmetric continents, regarding population growth, education, land and water availability/uses, food production and economics.

But Europe, and particularly the European Union, is also in the forefront in facing these challenges with innovative policies regarding environmental protection, sustainable use of living resources, marine and coastal planning and leading technological developments and innovation.

Aquaculture has a clear place in securing food production in Europe and presents “Oceans of Opportunities” for development and investment if given the political and social licence to expand and develop, with public awareness/acceptance of its role. Aquaculture Europe 2021 will explore those oceans from the unique island that is Madeira.

The AE2021 parallel sessions will cover the full scope of European aquaculture and will comprise submitted oral and E-poster presentations. AE2021 will also feature an international trade exhibition, industry forum, student sessions and activities, satellite workshops and updates on EU research.

Register Here

Aquaculture America 2021 Returns To San Antonio

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AQUACULTURE AMERICA 2021 returns to one of the favorite tourist spots in the world for the only major national aquaculture conference and exposition held in the U.S. The U.S. Aquaculture Society (formerly U.S. Chapter of WAS) joins with National Aquaculture Association and the Aquaculture Suppliers Association to produce the annual Aquaculture America meetings. These sponsors are joined by the annual meetings of Aquacultural Engineering Society, US Trout Farmers Association and many more associations to make Aquaculture America 2021 the one meeting in the U.S. that you don’t want to miss!

A CRITICAL TRADE SHOW FOR AQUACULTURISTS! AQUACULTURE AMERICA 2021 will have the largest aquaculture trade show in the Western Hemisphere and one of the largest anywhere in the world with nearly 200 booths! This is your opportunity to inspect the latest in products and services for the aquaculture industry. It is the place to visit current suppliers and make new contacts. To keep ahead and to keep profits building, you need to keep pace with the technological advancements in the industry - and AQUACULTURE AMERICA 2021 is the place to do it!

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World Aquaculture Visits Mexico Again

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The World Aquaculture Society is the organization of professionals in the most important field in the world, with members of more than 100 countries. Its annual conference is recognized globally as the most relevant for the exchange of knowledge, technology, innovation and professional network training. During WA2021 there will be the participation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and other international organizations. There will be multiple presentations, workshops, business meetings, trade exhibition, art gallery, technical visits to farms and process plants in the region, and various events dedicated to building professional networks.

Mérida is distinguished for being one of the most beautiful cities in the world, as well as being considered one of the jewels of Latin America. With a wonderful climate, friendly and hospitable people, located in the State of Yucatan, cradle of the Mayan culture; It has various tourist attractions, among which are archaeological centers, beaches, large haciendas and majestic cenotes.

The Yucatan International Congress Center is an ecologically responsible building, equipped with state-of-the-art technology, built under the LEED Green Building certification system, it has “El Cenote” inside it, an underwater river that makes it unique in the world.

Due to the richness of its natural and hydrological resources, Mexico is considered one of the countries with the greatest aquaculture potential in the world. It is an honor for Mexico and a great opportunity that Mérida will become the capital of aquaculture during 2021. This event is expected to be a watershed in the evolution of the activity not only in the peninsula but throughout the country. #AquacultureNow.

WA2021 is inviting the national and international organisations and societies to hold their seminar, workshop and meetings during the event in Merida.

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The fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will review the achievement and delivery of the CBD’s Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. It is also anticipated that the final decision on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework will be taken, together with decisions on related topics including capacity building and resource mobilization.

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The “zero draft” for a post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework has included a focus on ensuring work to preserve biodiversity contributes to “the nutrition, food security, and livelihoods of people, especially for the most vulnerable.”

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