BOBP-IGO'S REGIONAL COOPERATION MODEL FOR SMALL-SCALE FISHERIES HIGHLIGHTED AT GLOBAL SSF SUMMIT, FAO ROME
Dr P Krishnan, Director, BOBP-IGO, shared three key lessons from his experience as the regional secretariat for developing NPOA-SSF in BOBP-IGO member countries. He was addressing from the 3rd Global SSF Summit at FAO, Rome (06 September 2026). He said that there are three transferable lessons: [1] a regional secretariat removes friction and helps align national work plans, allowing countries to move faster together than any could alone; [2] it enables genuine comparative learning, so that what works in one country can be adopted by its neighbour; and [3] the shared political moments create peer accountability, turning national commitments into public, peer-witnessed milestones, making a strong case for involving RFBs in the development of National Plan for Small-Scale Fisheries (NPOA-SSF).
The session brought together leaders from across the world, including Venezuela, the Mediterranean (GFCM), Madagascar, Guyana (CNFO), Senegal (AWFISHNET) and Sri Lanka, along with fisher organisations representing small-scale fishers, governments and FAO. Dr Lena Westlund, Senior Fishery Officer, FAO, moderated the session.
Dr Krishnan expressed hope that this first-of-its-kind regional approach, piloted by BOBP-IGO, will serve as a global model for sustaining small-scale fisheries across the world, and welcomed all stakeholders to join hands in this collective success story.
