Friday, July 1st 2022, Lisbon
Small-scale fishers from all continents of the world were present this week at the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon.
We participated in debates, meetings, side events, even those that, being only in English, closed the door to many of us.
We are ready and we have clear demands. We have drafted a call to action with 5 priorities.
We have come to call on decision makers around the world to act now to ensure that our rights are respected.
Rights to access the marine resources we depend on for our livelihoods.
Rights to decent living and working conditions for women and men in small-scale fisheries.
Rights for our children to live with a healthy, pollution-free ocean.
The right to information, and to the genuine participation of our communities in the decisions that affect our lives but also the health of the oceans and your source of food.
The right to our own voice. We do not need anyone, decision-makers, donors or NGOs, to speak for us. We no longer want anyone to speak for us. We are here and our voice is strong.
We are here to offer our help to save our ocean together. Because who better than us, coastal communities from six continents, knows the ocean and its riches? We live in it, we have respected it for thousands of years and we know many of its secrets.
We are ready to work with you, decision-makers, donors and NGOs to save our ocean, our common mother.
But to work well together, we need consent, agreement, a definition of what a good partnership is. We propose to write a code of conduct, and we will share it with you in the coming months.
We are ready to work with you in transparency and in mutual respect.
Will you join us?