In developing countries, 2.6 billion people depend on fisheries as a source of protein and income. In many fisheries, the management is either unsustainable or does not optimize productivity, resulting in forgone losses of more than US $80 billion annually. Though women account for 90% of global fisheries processing roles and 15% of the global harvesting workforce—together equating to about half the overall fisheries workforce—women are often underrepresented in the fisheries management decision forums that are responsible for securing the future of fisheries, and therefore their own futures.
Under the AGENT partnership, the USAID Office of Forestry and Biodiversity, the USAID Office of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) published a new guide, Gender in Fisheries – A Sea of Opportunities. From understanding the roles women play throughout fisheries, to how gender-based violence (GBV) impacts the sector, the publication examines the evidence for why and how gender equality and women’s economic empowerment can be promoted through fisheries while strengthening sustainable results.
This webinar provides participants an in-depth look at important findings from AGENT research, spanning the status of gender and wild-caught fisheries, the integrated benefits of a gender-informed approach, GBV as a specific concern in the sector, and new ongoing areas of evidence-finding demonstrating why gender matters for improved wild-caught fisheries management.
The webinar was moderated by Cate Owren, IUCN, and included the following presentations by:
- Jackie Siles, Global Programme on Governance and Rights, IUCN
- Corinne Hart, Office of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, USAID
- Heidi Schuttenberg, PhD, Office of Forestry and Biodiversity, USAID
Additional resources for this webinar include:
- Read Gender in Fisheries – A Sea of Opportunities here.
- Access a copy of the presentations here.
- Read the International Women’s Day blog for the publication here.
Additional resources shared by webinar participants include:
- The Mangroves for the Future Gender Analysis Guide / Toolkit for Coastal Resource Dependent Communities here.
- GenderPro, an educational and credentialing program for mid to senior level development and humanitarian professionals here.
You can learn more about AGENT here.
Follow AGENT news on Twitter at #AGENT_usaid.
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Advancing Gender in the Environment (AGENT) is a ten-year Public International Organization (PIO) grant to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) that was established in 2014 and is managed by the Bureau for Economic Growth, Education and Environment’s (E3) Office of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment. The purpose of the grant is to increase the effectiveness of USAID’s environment programming through the robust integration of gender considerations, improving gender equality and women’s empowerment outcomes in a broad range of environmental sectors.
AGENT provides an array of support for national, regional and global environmental activities to advance women’s empowerment and gender equality. AGENT’s support is designed to complement existing or emerging USAID environmental efforts. AGENT broadens the reach of technical support, builds evidence for gender integration throughout environmental sectors, fills critical information gaps, and develops targeted resources and tools that can be directly applied in Agency programs, training, and communications.
