National Fisheries Strategy (2012-2025).

The National Fisheries Strategy is a multi-sectoral document with a coherent approach integrating the resource, environment, livelihoods, economic and research concerns as well as identifying the priority needs to generate synergetic benefits for enhancing fisheries sector utilization. The NFS document is presented in 5 chapters. Chapter 1 provides the background information along with a brief on NFS formulation processes. Chapter 2 gives an overview of the country’s fisheries sector together with the sectoral challenges, the way forward, and the synthesis of NFS guiding principles and crosscutting issues. The actual Strategy for the sustainable management and development of fisheries in Yemen together with the vision, goal, programmes and objectives along with 2012-2015 implementation matrix and estimated cost are presented in Chapters 3. Chapter 4 elucidates the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for NFS implementation, including the role of stakeholders in NFS implementation. Chapter 5 explains the NFS Finance and Budgetary requirements with a note on Resource mobilization. The overall goal of the Strategy, to achieve in the long term, is to enhance the fisheries sector contribution to the national economic growth while ensuring the environmental and resource sustainability, improving community livelihoods, strengthening the food security needs, and job-creating economic empowerment opportunities with a focus on youths and women. While, in the short-term (2012-2015) the focus will be on securing and improving the fishers’ (men and women) community livelihoods, efficient institutional structures together with effective legal frameworks and enhanced partnerships. The mid-term target (2016-2020) is to enhance sectorial capacities and private-sector to lead an equitable economic growth through small and medium scale enterprises and aquaculture development, domestic and export market development, together with gradual improvement of operational and functional infrastructural systems. The National Fisheries Strategy gives special attention to five crosscutting issues in the sector, important to achieve the overall goal. They are: Gender; Climate change; Food security; Partnerships and Private Sector Development; and Capacity Building.
By reinforcing the quality-standard domestic market supply chain systems, improving domestic marketing and trade systems together with the diversification of fish/fishery products and consumer-community awareness on fish as diet, the Strategy will contribute in strengthening the national food security systems. Also, an efficient use of marine/aquatic resources is indicated as a contribution to the national economy, poverty alleviation and food security (Chap. 3).
The most clear indication for a sustainable development of the sector is contained in paragraph 1.3 of Chapter 2 (The way foreword), where is declared that 'an approach that focuses on sustainable exploitation of resources while safeguarding the ecosystem’s structure, function and productivity; addresses inclusive and pro-poor economic growth and promotes socio-economic development in line with national development priorities; and enhances the national self-sufficiency needs and sectoral sustainability together with achievable objectives/targets in line with the national strategic goals needs to be implemented. These objectives need to be written clearly detailing the role, rights and obligations of the Ministry, and also those of the private sector and other stakeholders involved in fisheries'. The Guiding Principles in the same chapter suggest the collaboration with international organizations and foreign countries to further increase the capacity of Yemen to develop its fisheries and aquaculture in a sustainable manner. The Strategy in Chapter 3 indicates the focus on adapting to the FAO’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF) and ecosystem approach to fisheries management, and implementation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) to reduce resource conflicts and environmental degradation.
The NFS adopts, as indicated in Chapter 2, an active approach to promoting partnerships in the implementation of the strategy. In these lines, will promote and strengthen the MFW’s partnership with different agencies that play indirect role in sectoral development (e.g. marine, transport, industry, trade, environment, tourism sectors). The partnerships among different donor’s organizations will be harmonized, through MFW, for the optimal resource utilization. Also private sector and the Yemeni civil society are considered to be the crucial driver in addressing and achieving the national economic growth. It is important that its organizations and cooperatives would be involved in the policy development work of the programme as major stakeholders as well as recipients and providers of technical assistance services.
In agreeing to the goals and the implementation of the strategy, the Government of Yemen has to commit itself to respect the principles of: good governance, transparency in decision-making and financial management processes; fostering fairness and equity among all the stakeholders, especially women and youth; respect of international treaties, conventions, laws and commitments; participatory decision making process, involving all stakeholders; and sustainable environmental resource use, management and protection.