WORLD BANK AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT SEPTEMBER 2009 What is PROFISH? 83189 The World Bank's Global Program on Fisheries PROFISH was established with key donors and stakeholders to engage the World Building Sustainability Bank in improving the sustainability and economic performance in the world’s The fisheries sector and marine capture fisheries, with a focus on the welfare of the poor in coastal- and fisheries fisheries in particular, face a growing crisis. communities in the developing world. In many developing countries the catches are declining, perpetuating a spiral into THE OBJECTIVE OF PROFISH THE PARTNERSHIP poverty for increasing numbers of small- PROFISH was created in 2005 to improve PROFISH is a programming and funding scale fishers and landless communities for sustainable livelihoods in the fisheries sector partnership between key fishery sector donors, which fishing is often a livelihood of last and to make concrete progress towards international financial institutions, developing resort. meeting the WSSD’s goals in fisheries. countries, stakeholder organizations, and international agencies. Increasing population pressures, growing The objective of PROFISH is to demand for fish, growing trade in fish strengthen governance of the world's PROFISH has received financial and in-kind products (with increasing imbalances fisheries by: support from UK (DfID), Iceland, France, New between production and consumption Zealand, Norway and Finland (through areas) and failures in governance are (i) improving the quality of investments TFESSD), Japan, FAO and the World Bank. made by both public and private driving unsustainable levels of exploitation The growing partnership includes regional of living aquatic resources. Pollution, sectors; economic organizations representing (ii) assisting countries and regions to widespread habitat destruction and clmate developing countries, including the African change are irreversibly altering many establish roadmaps to achieve Union the ASEAN Secretariat. FAO, IUCN effective sector governance and aquatic ecosystems. and WorldFish Center (the sole dedicated reform using improved fisheries fisheries research organization of the CGIAR) management tools; and PROFISH products - The Sunken Billions are partners in PROFISH. There is also close and Rising to Depletion help build an (iii) aligning donor interventions. cooperation with OECD and NOAA/ NFMS economic justification for reform and (USA). provide metrics for countries to assess their PROFISH CORE ACTIVITIES fisheries governance performance (see PROFISH GOVERNANCE briefing note on Global Goods). PROFISH undertakes three related activities: PROFISH is managed by the World Bank and (i) supporting developing countries to Current PROFISH work on the Political operates under the guidance of the PROFISH build sustainable fisheries Economy of Fisheries Reform provide Steering Committee (PSC), the decision initiatives into national plans and guidance on tenure and property rights in making body for the PROFISH partnership. poverty reduction strategies, as a fisheries and on the pathways to fisheries The PSC determines strategies and policies and basis for national investment and reform - a politically sensitive and long- approves the annual work program. The donor support for sustainable term process. Other PROFISH products current chair of PROFISH is from New fisheries; focus on pro-poor fisheries, illegal fishing Zealand. PSC meetings are attended by (ii) building national and regional and corruption. observers from many non-partner agencies consensus on pro-poor sustainable which contribute to sustainable fisheries fisheries initiatives and priority initiatives. activities to implement the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries; Financing and support and (iii) aligning and enhancing PROFISH activities are supported by a Multi- New Zealand. FAO and WorldFish Center international assistance on fisheries Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) to whichh donors provide in-kind (staff) support. and sustainable use of aquatic contibute and by World Bank internal ecosystems and catalyzing resources. implementation of agreed initiatives. The current MDTF donors are Iceland, France, UK (DfID), Norway and Finland. Norway, www.worldbank.org/fish 2 2 PROFISH PRODUCTS AND BUSINESS LINES PROFISH has been active in a wide range of counties and has a particular focus on sub- Independent Evaluation of Country-level activities Saharan Africa. PROFISH target countries PROFISH (2009) include: Working from terms of reference approved PROFISH is an instrument to assist World Bank client countries to establish a national  Africa: West Africa Region, in particular by the PROFISH Steering Committeee an consensus on the design and implementation Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Liberia and independent team evaluated the of fisheries sector strategies and plans for Ghana; Madagascar. performance and assessed the future role of sustainable fisheries; and to mainstream these  Asia: Maldives, India, Vietnam PROFISH. The Evaluation Team found policies and plans into the national economic  Latin America: Peru that PROFISH, since its inception in 2005, planning frameworks. had made excellent progress in raising PROFISH staff and resources also provide World Bank, bilateral donor and client These activities are expected to lead to an support for existing World Bank fisheries country awareness of fisheries development increased investment in fisheries policy activities in: Lake Victoria riparian countries, needs, contributed substantially to global reform, good governance, pro-poor fisheries Tunisia, Morroco, Pacific Island Countries, development products on fisheries and strategies and other strategic national and Cape Verde, Nicaragua, and Caspian basin aquaculture and assisted World Bank regional investments. PROFISH is not an countries. country/regional operations. investment fund, but provides the preparatory policy analyses to underpin both public and In addition to World Bank funds, Global activities private investment. PROFISH attracted trust funds from 7 At the global level PROFISH is helping agencies and catalysed World Bank develop and promote solutions to core investment in sustainable fisheries with a fisheries problems, through building particular focus on good governance and knowledge and capacity and awareness. pro-poor fisheries. Fisheries Partnerships in Sub- PROFISH provides a means of increasing PROFISH helped to re-establish the World Saharan Africa awareness of fisheries issues and solutions and Bank’s credibility in fisheries and revealed Sub-Saharan Africa is a primary focus of a forum for exchange of information on donor a large, pent-up demand for fisheries PROFISH activities. It is the only region plans and initiatives that help align donor expertise. where per capita fish consumption is interventions on national, regional and global priorities. The evaluation concluded that PROFISH declining as a result of increasing can play an increasingly important and population, rising prices and declining Global awareness building pivotal role in moving developing countries incomes. towards sustainable fisheries by (i) Nutritionally, fish is of great importance,  NEPAD Fish for All Summit 2005 (with focusing on governance and institutions, over 20% of the animal protein FAO and WorldFish Center) (ii) including fisheries in the mainstream consumption in sub-Saharan Africa  Support for a global conference on small- development agendas and in global themes compared to about 15% worldwide. The scale fisheries 2009 (with FAO and such as food security and climate change, gap between supply and demand is growing others) and (iii) applying the key operational tools rapidly, e.g. Nigeria imports almost 0.75  PROFISH Forum - a county and donor of problem diagnosis, sequenced million tons of low-value small pelagic dialogue on fisheries (biennial) interventions and implementation fish, a considerable proportion harvested by  Coherence between development and experience and learning. foreign vessels fishing in African waters. trade policies (with OECD and DFID). Export of high value fish to developed countries is of increasing importance. Knowledge products Revenues from fisheries are vital to a number of LDCs, for example, representing  Changing the Face of the Waters. The over 40% of total treasury receipts in Promise and Challenge of Sustainable ALLFISH - a new partnership with the Guinea Bissau. Aquaculture private sector  Rising to Depletion - a country-by- The World Bank has made a specific effort country state of fisheries In 2009, with support from the World in sub-Saharan Africa by creating a US$60  The Sunken Billions. The Economic Bank (DGF), GEF, ICFA (the million GEF-funded 'Strategic Justification for Fisheries Reform International Coalition of Fisheries Partnership for a Sustainable Fisheries Investment Fund of in the Large Marine  The Political Economy of Reform (series Associations) and FAO, PROFISH of products in preparation) established the ALLFISH partnership. Ecosystems of Sub-Saharan Africa' to assist countries in forging sustainable  Fisheries Governance - Tackling Corruption (with IUCN) provided a The Alliance for Sustainable Fisheries (see fisheries. PROFISH supports preparation of separate brief) will focus on: the policy analyses required to access these typology of corruption in fisheries and identified means of addressing corruption  development and application of and other resources. industry codes of conduct;  Global Indicators of fisheries, e.g. PROFISH also actively supports the numbers of small-scale fishers worldwide  establishment of sustainable seafood African Union/ NEPAD Partnership for  Fisheries and poverty reduction (in value chains; African Fisheries aimed at improved preparation)  improved access to international fisheries governance, food security and  Fisheries law best practices (in markets for small-scale producers; economic growth. preparation) and  extension of the ICFA network to developing countries. 1818 H Street. NW – Washington, DC 20433 – www.worldrldbank.org/fish