Page 61 - FAO Aquaculture News, May 2021 - No. 63

rose to positions in leadership. Shirlene Anthony Samy
raised the potential of e-commercial platforms to allow
more women to sell and trade fisheries and aquaculture
products, as the digital platforms freed women from
some of the gender-based constraints that limit in-person
©FAO/L. Tato (photo taken before the COVID-19 pandemic) the need for daily action and steps forward, even if the
commerce. Yuki Chidui and Shirlene Anthony Samy raised

steps are small, to change and challenge restrictive norms,
while Christelle Vigot reminded participants to reflect on
the type of leadership we want today. Marie-Christine
Monfort made a clear call that we must always “count,
count, count” to make the invisible visible and to work
towards gender equality as a fundamental step to highlight
the gender gap. Finally, she requested that FAO begin
Thematic Articles in achieving equitable and sustainable aquaculture in planning to host an international conference for women in
Workers processing fish fillets in Kitale, Kenya.
the fishery and aquaculture sectors.

These thoughts were also emphasized in the closing
fisheries. Women are disproportionately represented in
remarks of Audun Lem, Deputy-Director of FAO’s
leadership positions along the value chain, perpetuating
the perception that women are not capable of participating
Fisheries Division, who recalled that gender equality in
the fisheries and aquaculture sector remains a work in
and making decisions on the same level as men are.
What is FAO doing?
as a domain of study in itself. Achieving gender equality
The newly restructured Fisheries Division reiterated its progress, in part because of the very perception of gender
also involves overcoming tensions that may arise between
commitment to gender equality by strengthening gender technologists and fisheries experts when confronted with
mainstreaming in its normative work, following the social and gender specialists, while “in reality, we need to
renewed FAO Policy on Gender Equality Policy 2020– acknowledge the complementarity of these areas of work
11
2023. Gender equality is central to FAO’s mandate, and and the need for both disciplines”. Mr Lem further stressed
it is central to achieving the SDGs. For this reason, the that the work that remains to be done cannot be carried out
Fisheries Division has engaged in new activities addressing by women only and that men have an important role in the
gender and women’s empowerment as part of the movement for gender equality, and “in fact, a responsibility
implementation of the 2021 Declaration for Sustainable to take on this work as allies”. “Rethinking the power
Fisheries and Aquaculture. relationship between human beings and the traditional
12
gender roles will release us from old and restrictive norms
On 8 March 2021, the Fisheries Division Gender that limit men, women as well as those who define their
Team hosted a webinar on the occasion of International identity otherwise”, Mr Lem concluded.
Women’s Day entitled “Women’s Leadership in Fisheries
and Aquaculture”. The webinar was opened by FAO’s This webinar was followed by a technical learning
13
Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo, who webinar, “Learning from experiences in implementing
emphasized that working together towards removing Gender Transformative Approaches in the fisheries and
gender-based constraints is crucial, as they prevent women aquaculture sectors”, organized on 16 March 2021 by FAO
to empower themselves, to realize themselves and to reach and the CGIAR GENDER Platform in the framework of
their full potential. She also highlighted the fundamental the European Union-funded Rome-based Agencies Joint
need for male allies in the fight for gender equality and Programme on Gender Transformative Approaches for
called for increasing our efforts to make women’s and girls’ Food Security and Nutrition (JP GTA). The expert panel,
contribution to fisheries and aquaculture more visible. A composed of Cynthia McDougall (CGIAR GENDER
14
panel made up of women leaders in the seafood sector Platform and WorldFish), Steven Cole (International
included Shirlene Anthony Samy of INFOFISH; Christelle Institute of Tropical Agriculture) and Afrina Choudhury
Vigot and Marie-Christine Monfort of the International (WorldFish), presented specific examples on how to
Organisation for Women in the Seafood Industry; and Yuki apply and upscale Gender Transformative Approaches
Chidui, sushi chef and owner of Nadeshico Sushi, Tokyo. (GTAs) for wider impact and to achieve gender equality
As women in a sector dominated by men, the panellists and food security. Presenting the JP GTA, Global
shared their experiences, highlighting their successes but Coordinator Hajnalka Petrics underscored the difference
also the challenges and constraints they faced as they between GTAs and gender responsive or accommodating
approaches that do not directly address the root causes
of gender inequalities – in stark contrast to GTAs, which
11. FAO. 2020. FAO Policy on Gender Equality 2020–2030. seek to understand, challenge and, ultimately, change
www.fao.org/3/cb1583en/cb1583en.pdf
12. www.fao.org/3/ne472en/ne472en.pdf discriminatory norms and practices to allow women
13. https://youtu.be/SCJTnJB3AJg to have the same opportunities as men. Steven Cole
14. www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/faoweb/FI/news/ gave an example on how GTAs in a small-scale capture
SpeakersBio.pdf

60 FAO AQUACULTURE NEWS – Nº. 63 ■ MAY 2021