Page 59 - FAO Aquaculture News, May 2021 - No. 63

Gender on the Agenda:

Towards the

Achievement of SDG 5

in Aquaculture ©FAO/G. Napolitano (photo taken before the COVID-19 pandemic)

ender equality and ending all discrimination against A small gathering of women on the banks of an aquaculture
Gwomen and girls are not only basic and fundamental
Thematic Articles for a peaceful and sustainable world. Yet, discrimination as the need for pro-poor and gender-sensitive development
human rights, but they are also a necessary foundation
pond in Kipushi, Democratic Republic of Congo.
against women and girls in aquaculture and fisheries is a
tangible and persistent reality despite the fact that it has
been proven that empowering women and girls helps in
strategies (target 1.b), the access to equal rights to
economic growth and development.
economic resources (target 1.4), full and productive
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employment and decent work for all women and men
Why gender equality matters for achieving the
promotion of safe and secure working environments for
17 SDGs
More than five years ago the United Nations Member States (target 8.5), and the protection of labour rights and the
all workers (target 8.8). Recognizing that the SDGs are
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adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development interdependent, it is crucial to intersect SDG 5 and the
(2030 Agenda) and the associated Sustainable aquaculture sector in order to maximize its contribution to
Development Goals (SDGs). The 2030 Agenda aims at the SDGs but also to capture the reality of women, men,
unifying stakeholders around a common goal: building boys and girls in the sector.
a just, rights-based, equitable and inclusive world. The
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promotion of sustained and inclusive economic growth, Intersecting SDG 5 and the fisheries and
social development and environmental protection for the aquaculture sector
benefit of all – including women, children, youth and SDG5’s first target (5.1) – “End all forms of discrimination
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future generations – are at the core of the 2030 Agenda. against all women and girls everywhere” – could not be
more universal. “Everywhere” includes the fisheries and
The SDGs are integrated and indivisible, meaning that aquaculture sector, where women constitute half of the
no one goal is separate from the others and that all the workforce throughout the value chain. Invisible, Ignored
goals require comprehensive and participatory approaches. and Unrecognized (IIU), women face discrimination and
This intersection between the SDGs is fundamental to gender-based constraints in a sector characterized by a
consider, especially when it comes to gender equality and gendered division of labour. Deeply rooted perceptions
the empowerment of all women and girls – embodied by regarding the behaviour and roles that women and girls
SDG 5, which is an explicit stand-alone goal and a cross- “should” perform make these issues extremely complex.
cutting issue, as well as a driver of sustainable development This is why gender studies in fisheries and aquaculture
in all its dimensions. It is the reason why it is repeatedly highlight the need for transformative change, carried out
stated that without a systematic incorporation of the gender through Gender Transformative Approaches to address the
lens in the implementation and monitoring of the SDGs, root causes of gender inequalities.
progress will inevitably falter and the 2030 Agenda as a
whole will not be realized. Violence against women and girls, embodied by
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target 5.2 – Eliminate all forms of violence against all
Aquaculture contributes to 15 out of the 17 SDGs, with women and girls in the public and private spheres, including
many specific targets directly relevant for the sector, such trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation – has

Written by: 1. World Bank. 2012. World development report 2012: gender equality and
development. World Bank. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/
Roxane Misk handle/10986/4391. License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
E-mail: Roxane.Misk@fao.org 2. United Nations. 2015. Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for
Omar Penarubia Sustainable Development. Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
E-mail: OmarRiego.Penarubia@fao.org https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
Jennifer Gee 3. https://unsdg.un.org/sites/default/files/UNDG-Mainstreaming-the-
2030-Agenda-Reference-Guide-2017.pdf
E-mail: Jennifer.Gee@fao.org 4. https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/sdg-report
FAO Fisheries Division, Rome, Italy 5. FAO. 2017. www.fao.org/cofi/38663-
0a3e5c407f3fb23a0e1a3a4fa62d7420c.pdf

58 FAO AQUACULTURE NEWS – Nº. 63 ■ MAY 2021