News Date: September 07 2016
Port of Spain. September 7, 2016 – Leaders of the Caribbean Network of Fisherfolk Organisations (CNFO) met at a two-day performance and planning workshop to discuss and critically assess the CNFO’sperformance since its formation almost 10 years ago. They were joined in this exercise by representatives from partner organisations the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM),Fisheries Division, Trinidad and Tobago, Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies of the University of the West Indies (UWI-CERMES) and Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI). The CNFO is a network of small-scale fisherfolk organisations operating in the CARICOM region, with its mission being to improve the quality of life for fisherfolk and develop a sustainable and profitableindustry through networking, representation and capacity building. Up until June 28th, 2016, when the CNFO became a registered non-governmental organisation in Belize, the Organisation has been operating as an informal network. Among its achievements, the CNFO hasbeen able to develop strong partnerships with many regional and global fisheries and related entities, through which it has been able to mobilise resources for development of the Organisation and itsmembers, and influence the development of fisheries-related policies. The Organisation is engaged as a partner in the delivery of a number of regional capacity building projects such as the Eastern Caribbean Marine Managed Areas Network and the StrengtheningCaribbean Fisherfolk to Participate in Governance projects. The CNFO has also been participating in various policy influencing fora such as the annual meetings of the CRFM’s Caribbean Fisheries Forum andthe Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) Conference. It recently took part in the Sixth Global Symposium on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries (GAF6), in August 2016, in Bangkok, Thailand. One of the key outputs from the performance and planning workshop was the development of a CNFO Action Plan which addresses three priority areas identified during the assessment – governance andmanagement, advocacy and communication, and capacity building. CNFO representatives from Belize, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago share their ideas during a working-group session to develop priority areas for an action plan. Executive Director of the CRFM, Milton Haughton, noted that “the CNFO has come a long way and achieved a lot.” He encouraged the members of the Organisation to continue to be engaged inaddressing issues that are affecting the livelihoods of fisherfolk, highlighting in particular the importance of improving the standard of living of Caribbean fisherfolk especially in light of the foreseeablechallenges associated with climate change and variability. The workshop, which was held at the Crews Inn Hotel and Yachting Centre, Chaguaramas Trinidad and Tobago, from August 25-26, 2016, was convened under the European Union funded(€1,03m) Strengthening Caribbean Fisherfolk to Participate in Governance (SCFPG) project. The SCFPG project is targeting the CNFO and its member organisations in the CARICOM/CRFM countriesof Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidadand Tobago and Turks and Caicos. The project is aimed at improving the contribution of the small-scale fisheries sector to food security in these countries through building the capacity of regional and nationalfisherfolk organisation networks to participate in fisheries governance and management. It is being implemented by CANARI, working in partnership with UWI-CERMES, Panos Caribbean, CNFO and CRFM. END About CANARI: The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute is a regional, technical, non-profit organisation which has been working in the islands of the Caribbean for more than 20 years. Ourmission is to promote equitable participation and effective collaboration in managing natural resources critical to development. Our programmes focus on research, sharing and dissemination of lessonslearned, capacity building and fostering regional partnerships. For further information: Please see http://www.canari.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/CNFO-Performance-Workshop-Press-Release.pdf or contact Terrence Phillips at CANARI at terrence@canari.org or call: 1-868-626-6062
News Source: The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI)
