Fishers and fisher representatives from around the world are gearing up for the 6th General Assembly of the World Forum of Fisher Peoples that is taking place in South Africa from 1 to 5 September.
In Cape Town, teams of people are hard at work to ensure the success of the event.
More than 100 delegates from close to 30 countries and seven continents will gather to discuss critical issues facing tens of millions of small-scale fishers. These include: Ocean Grabbing, the process whereby elites take control of resources at the expense of poor communities; and the International Guidelines for small-scale fisheries, which offers some hope for the sector.
The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Minister Zokwana, will address the conference. The keynote address will be delivered by Dr Seth Macinko, an associate professor in the Department of Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island (USA). He teaches courses in fisheries law and management.
The General Assembly of WFFP is organised every three years as per the WFFP Constitution.
The Assembly ensures that there is democratic functioning through the election of new office bearers, planning the global common agenda for the artisanal small-scale fisher communities and the membership of millions of fishers across the world.
The Fifth General Assembly of the WFFP was organized by the Pakistan Fisherfolk Federation (PFF). Some 60 international delegates from 17 countries participated in the event.