The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2020

participation and consultation, inclusiveness, 
transparency, redress, etc. Applying these 
frameworks helps stakeholders to better 
understand the impacts of different types of 
tenure and user rights systems – including on the 
most vulnerable and marginalized – and, hence, 
supports more informed decision-making. 
Additional efforts to better understand and 
improve secure tenure, user and access rights 
systems have included FAO conferences and 
meetings, most recently: Tenure and User 
Rights in Fisheries 2018: Achieving Sustainable 
Development Goals by 2030; and Friends of User 
Rights 2019 Meeting. FAO is now engaged in a 
series of regional workshops around the world on 
fisheries tenure and user rights in response to the 
call to develop practical guidance on the options 
and opportunities for fisheries stakeholders to 
consider when advancing fisheries tenure and 
user rights, with particular care given to national 
and regional nuances. It is expected that such 
guidance will accelerate the uptake and adoption 
of both the VGGT and SSF Guidelines at the 
global, regional and local levels, and to support 
the achievement of the SDGs.
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THE STATE OF WORLD FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE 
2020
The 2030 Agenda is a strong commitment to 
leave no one behind, and SDG Target 14.b 
calls specifically for small-scale artisanal 
fishers to be provided with access to marine 
resources and markets (
Box 12
).
17
Such access 
needs to be underpinned by secure tenure and 
user rights to the aquatic resources that form 
17
This also requires addressing tenure and user rights beyond the 
aquatic space, as fisheries and aquaculture value chains rely equally 
on access to land and water to function, to ensure sustainability, 
economic advancement and social cohesion.
the basis for social and cultural well-being, 
livelihoods and sustainable development of 
communities, including both women and men, 
that depend on fisheries and aquaculture (
Box 13
). 
Advancing knowledge on tenure and user rights 
is a crucial step for securing sustainability and 
achieving the objectives of the SDGs. This is true 
in relation to how the world’s marine and inland 
capture fisheries, coastal and aquatic spaces 
are accessed, used and managed. It also holds 
regarding their interactions with land, water and 
forest tenure and rights.
The United Nations General Assembly has declared 
2022 the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries 
and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022). FAO is the lead 
agency for celebrating the year in collaboration 
with other relevant organizations and bodies of the 
United Nations system. IYAFA 2022 is an important 
recognition of the millions of small-scale fishers, fish 
farmers and fishworkers who provide healthy and 
nutritious food to billions of people and contribute 
to achieving Zero Hunger. Small-scale fisheries and 
aquaculture also deserve attention for being crucial 
for the livelihoods of millions, and for the need for 
their responsible management to support healthy 
aquatic ecosystems.
By leading the celebration of this international year, 
FAO aims to focus world attention on the key role that 
small-scale fishers, fish farmers and fishworkers can 
play in food security and nutrition, and poverty 
eradication, and for the urgency to improve their 
management, with the ambition to increase 
understanding, awareness and action to support them. 
IYAFA 2022 will offer a valuable opportunity to 
communicate broad messages to the general public, as 
well as tailored messages specifically urging 
policymakers, development partners, academia, the 
private sector, and, not least, small-scale fisheries and 
aquaculture organizations to take action.
The celebration is also an opportunity to enhance 
meaningful participation and engagement of small-
scale producers in sustainable management and 
facilitate the establishment of partnerships at the 
global, regional and national levels. The messages 
communicated during IYAFA 2022 will contribute to 
raising global awareness, empowering small-scale 
producers, and highlighting the benefits to be gained 
from strengthening small-scale fisheries and aquaculture 
through informed and inclusive policies and practices 
for their sustainable management. Moreover, 
IYAFA 2022 and the preparations leading up to it offer 
a good opportunity to review achievements regarding 
the objectives of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing 
Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of 
Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) 
and to encourage States to incorporate the SSF 
Guidelines into public policies and programmes.
An International Steering Committee, consisting of 
country representatives from different regions, United 
Nations organizations and other relevant partners 
from civil society and academia is being established 
to support preparations for and the celebration of 
IYAFA 2022. In addition, as IYAFA 2022 falls within 
the United Nations Decade of Family Farming 
(2019–2028), the two celebrations could reinforce 
one another in providing greater visibility for 
small-scale food producers. Similarly, IYAFA 2022 can 
act as a springboard towards achieving the 
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, in