SSF Guidelines - a Framework for Implementation Global

Food and Agricultural Organisation FAO - Project Dates:
October 2019 - December 2019

Description of Project:
The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) are an international instrument focusing on the needs of developing countries but applicable globally and to all types of small-scale fisheries and the whole small-scale fisheries value chain. They provide a comprehensive framework for guiding small-scale fisheries governance and development but are by definition broad and not action-specific at the national or local level: they provide recommendations on what needs to be done but not how. The SSF Guidelines themselves, in Chapter 13, refer to the need to support implementation and monitoring. Hence, to facilitate their implementation, country-tailored implementation plans are needed that identify strategies and priority actions to be taken at the country level. Such a comprehensive implementation plan can be drawn up in the format of a National Plan of Action for the implementation of the SSF Guidelines (NPOA-SSF).

Services Provided:

Poseidon led the first phase of the development of a Toolkit for Implementing SSF Guidelines – Scoping and development of the toolkit framework and initial tools. The following tasks were achieved: Collected, reviewed and analysed previous SSF Guidelines implementation efforts and related tools and processes and compiled a scoping report Prepared a toolkit framework for the SSF Guidelines implementation process, identifying and describing stages, steps, outputs and tools for each step (longer more detailed version for internal use and simplified brochure with flow chart with stages, explained steps, outputs and selected tools) Prepared selected tools, in particular in support of the initial stage of the SSF Guidelines implementation process: SSF Task Force establishment guidance, built on experiences in Tanzania and Senegal, and including aspects such as ToRs, composition, engagement, funding/resourcing, protocols SSF Profile template and guidance to establish baseline of the SSF sector, based on the SSF Guidelines and informed by relevant materials (e.g. from regional consultations on SSF Guidelines, monitoring, characterization matrix etc.) Stakeholder mapping and analysis tool, adapting and expanding existing tools (e.g. from the EAF/M toolboxes) Assessment tool against the SSF Guidelines for governance review and gap analysis, building on the USAID tool Annotated NPOA rationale template (to capture the intervention logic, including linkages to relevant global/regional/national objectives) NPOA development planning template, in a format that facilitates resource mobilization (e.g. including time line, budget etc.) Guidance on National Platform development, including potential adaptation of existing structures and addressing objectives, constituents, how to operate NPOA template and related guidance NPOA implementation guidance for project management