A warm welcome to our participants from Samoa, Tuvalu, PNG, Vanuatu, Tonga, Solomon Islands from the Ministries of Fisheries and Ministries responsible for women/gender affairs; to our regional and international partners and our facilitators from the University of British Columbia and the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions.
SPC through the Pacific-European Union Marine Partnership programme or ‘PEUMP’ has a strong emphasis on gender, social inclusion and human rights.
The fisheries sector provides an immense spectrum of benefits to Pacific people – from healthy foods, to livelihoods, cultural practices, recreation, a sense of identity and above all a place we call pour common home in the Pacific.
The ocean is just like the glue that holds our communities together. It has sustained our people for many years, and we are all committed under the 2050 strategy to continue to harness the benefits of our ocean in a sustainable, prosperous and people-centred manner for next generations to come and enjoy its benefits and preserve our shared heritage.
Marine resources have proven to be a strong buffer against economic hardship and recently against one of the biggest health pandemics of our time: COVID-19 when many people faced food insecurities due to interrupted food supply chains.
Benefits from the fisheries sector are not always distributed equitably. Some people are more marginalised than others because of their remoteness, their migrant status, their social standing, their disability or other social factors that can create barriers for certain people or groups to participate in and benefit from the fisheries sector.
One of the biggest groups of resource users are women – women in all their diversities as they work along fisheries supply chains often invisible, their contributions overlooked, undervalued, not accounted for in national statistics.
It is also crucial to understand men’s roles in fisheries and their interactions with women because gender is about both, women and men.
We are currently raising awareness – the 16 days of awareness – a global campaign to fight gender-based violence. I would like to bring to your attention the high numbers of women and girls in the Pacific who have experienced and continue to experience forms of gendered violence. This also impacts women and girls and their work in fishing. The fisheries sector is not neutral to gender-based violence and other forms of discrimination on the grounds of gender.
For the past 6 years, PEUMP has supported the mainstreaming of gender equality into the fisheries sector at regional and national levels – often with partners such as FFA, FAO, USP and others.
We acknowledge the power of these collaborations and partnerships to progress our common goal for a fair and just fisheries sector to allow us to ‘balance the vaka’ for equity and equality.
It has been a rewarding journey to see the increased platforms to discuss gender issues in fisheries and to see countries taking a lead in tackling gender barriers, spearheading strategic gender policy directions and supporting the growing pool of women leaders in fisheries. These are all testimonies of our common efforts to progress gender equality in line with our Pacific leader’s commitments
The workshop today provides a vital platform for exchange between fisheries and gender experts acknowledging the cross-cutting nature of gender equality and the importance to work jointly across ministries and across marine and social disciplines.
I wish you all a fruitful exchange and excellent outcomes as I hand back to our facilitation team, Colette, Natalie and Alli who will be providing you with an overview of this workshop’s purpose and objectives.
Vinaka vakalevu