Preparatory activities for Seychelles to conduct first report for the Fisheries Transparency Initiative

CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT

Preparatory Activities for Seychelles to Conduct First Report for the Fisheries Transparency Initiative

• INTRODUCTION

The development agenda of Seychelles is now firmly viewed through the lens of a blue economy, focused on the growth of ocean-based economies that are environmentally and socially sustainable. Tourism and fisheries, the two main pillars of the economy, are highly dependent on the country’s rich marine biodiversity and are central to strategies for meeting the goal of a blue economy. Fisheries account for a significant portion of gross domestic product but are also of considerable social and cultural importance to the country. The Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture and Seychelles Fishing Authority are the principal public institutions for the sector, overseeing policy, management, development, research and capacity building, while fisheries legislation was recently modernised (Fisheries Act, 2014). However, it is recognised that transparency and participation in developing fisheries policy and management need to be strengthened in order for Seychelles to meet emerging best practices in governance.

The public availability of credible information is essential to achieving sustainable and responsibly managed marine fisheries. Consequently, the need for transparency and participation is central to major fisheries reform efforts, including: the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (FAO; 2015); the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (FAO; 2012), and the Guidelines for the Development of National Legislation on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (UNEP; 2010). In spite of a greater focus on transparency and participation in the fisheries sector, basic information often still remains out of the public domain. Such information includes the amount of fish taken from the ocean, the status of fish stocks and marine ecosystems, conditions attached to fishing authorisations and the contracts of fishing access agreements signed between fishing nations and coastal states. Without such information, the quality and credibility of decision-making can be undermined, while the prospect of effective oversight and accountability diminishes.

The Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) is a global multi-stakeholder initiative. Its purpose is to increase transparency and participation in fisheries governance to promote improvements in the sustainable management of marine fisheries [1].

• Transparency: At the heart of the initiative is the FiTI Standard, an agreement on what fisheries information should be published by public authorities. It comprises 12 transparency requirements and is applicable to all countries. The FiTI Standard provides governments, the fishing industry (both large-scale and small-scale), and civil society with a comprehensive and credible way to achieve and maintain high levels of transparency on the management of the marine fisheries sector and the activities of fishers and fishing companies.

• Participation: The FiTI is based on the principle of multi-stakeholder participation. The FiTI is implemented in countries through National Multi-Stakeholder Groups, consisting of representatives from government, business and organised civil society. These groups work collectively to assess whether information in the public domain is perceived as accessible and complete and make recommendations on how to improve information published by national authorities.

The FiTI is voluntary, global initiative. However, once a country has decided to participate, mandatory requirements must be followed. Seychelles are strongly committed to implement the FiTI and were among the initiative’s first five pilot countries that publicly committed to initiate the process to become an official FiTI Candidate Country[2]. Countries intending to implement the FiTI must complete six requirements (sign-up steps). Based on these requirements, engaging in the FiTI implementation process requires a sound understanding of the country’s stakeholders, its legal framework, data availability and quality. As part of World Bank assistance to the Seychelles, a report has been prepared to assist the Seychelles with the FiTI implementation process and as a preliminary exercise in applying the FiTI Standard in Seychelles. This report provides the Seychelles stakeholders with a basis for discussion on FITI institutional arrangements and the FiTI transparency requirements. Based on this report, the first official FiTI Report (for calendar year 2016) should now be prepared and provided to the Seychelles FiTI National Multi-Stakeholder Group for review and approval once the Group established. The Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture (MFA) is now recruiting a consultant to prepare this first official FiTI Report for the Seychelles.

• OBJECTIVES

The objective of this assignment is to prepare the first official FiTI Report for the Seychelles.

• SCOPE OF WORK

The consultant will be required to conduct the study based on desk-top research as well as through interviews with key government and non-governmental stakeholders, including representatives from the fishing industry and civil society. Specifically, the main tasks of this assignment are to:

• Identify engagement opportunities for the FiTI to contribute to policy dialogues and broader conversations about national reform efforts in the Seychelles (in particular to the Blue Economy);

• Assess the availability and accessibility of information provided by public authorities in the public domain according to the 12 transparency requirements set forth in Section B1 of the FiTI Standard[3]. This should also include documenting objections that may exist to making such information public (e.g. legal obstacles) as well as options of data gathering and verification through a multi-stakeholder processes – for this, the consultant must consult with relevant national and international organisations and experts to ensure that the assessment on the transparency requirements is perceived as credible and trustworthy, and that all appropriate sources of information are considered. This includes, but is not limited to, vessel owners, right-holders, small-scale fishing associations, civil society organisations, academia, media, and the FiTI International Secretariat;

• Draft the first FiTI Report for the Seychelles, which must include the following information for each transparency requirement:

• A reference on where detailed information can be found in the public domain, if applicable;

• A succinct summary of the main findings;

• An explanation of significant deviations from information published by national authorities, if applicable, including the names of individual vessels which do not comply with catch, landings and transshipment reporting provisions according to the country’s rules and procedures on access rights and fishing authorisations;

• An explanation of significant deviations from previous reporting periods, if applicable;

• Information on whether complementary information from other stakeholders is used by the national authorities, if applicable.

(Where existing information is not published by public authorities in the public domain or is assessed as inaccessible or incomplete, the consultant must seek to collate this information and must present it in the FiTI Report. In case the consultant is unable to collate complete information, the reasons must be stated in the draft FiTI Report);

• Submit the draft FiTI Report to the National MSG for review and adapt the preliminary FiTI Report based on their review comments, if applicable;

• Based on the experiences for drafting the first FiTI Report in the Seychelles, develop a standardized (anonymized) Report Compilation Handbook for the FiTI International Secretariat to reuse in other countries implementing the FiTI;

• KEY DELIVERABLES

The main deliverables of this assignment are:

• Draft FiTI Report for the Seychelles

• Report Compilation Handbook (max. 50 pages)

• Engagement opportunities between the FiTI and the Blue Economy in the Seychelles.

• ASSIGNMENT DURATION AND TIMING OF ACTIVITIES/DELIVERABLES

The assignment will be undertaken between October 2017 and February 2018, according to proposed schedule below. The consultant will be based in Seychelles. The consultant is allowed to sub-contract part of this assignment.