FAO opens global consultation on human rights in aquaculture

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is seeking feedback from stakeholders on its draft guidance for improved social responsibility in aquaculture production.

The guidance focused on aquaculture will form part of the wider FAO Guidance on Social Responsibility in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Value Chains, which is currently under development by the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Division.

The FAO says its members have mandated the organization to ensure that social sustainability is integrated across fisheries and aquaculture sectors, with a focus on improving practices related to decent work, labour rights, and social protection. The draft guidance builds upon existing international conventions and standards, providing a voluntary, non-binding tool to help the private sector enforce these principles.

The FAO Guidance will cover the entire fisheries and aquaculture value chain, divided into six key sections: Industrial Fishing, Small-Scale Fishing, Aquaculture Production, Processing, Distribution, and Retailing. The draft section currently open for consultation addresses Aquaculture Production.

While the FAO views aquaculture production as an essential part of global food security, it notes in the draft guidance that developments associated with the rapid expansion of global aquaculture "have also caused undesirable social impacts in several parts of the world, often leading to indecent working conditions at the workspace due to, for example, weak enforcement of human and labour rights, the use of harmful chemicals and veterinary drugs, limited social license, and negative social and cultural impacts on aquaculture dependent communities and workers".

The FAO says its Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture (GSA) aims for a scenario where "aquaculture contributes significantly to free the world of hunger and to equitably improve the living and working standards of all workers in the aquaculture value chain."

The draft section on Aquaculture Production thus covers a range of human rights and labour issues, including the elmination of forced labour in supply chains, elimination of illegal recruitment practices, addressing child labour and the protection of vulnerable groups such as women, children, indigenous groups and migrant workers, and the improvement of health and safety for aquaculture workers.

The draft is available to view and download on the FAO website, and stakeholders are encouraged to submit their comments on this draft until Sunday, September 22, 2024, at 11:59 PM European time.

The FAO says it hopes this process will help refine the guidance and ensure it effectively promotes social responsibility in aquaculture.