Global momentum builds to strengthen fishers’ rights at UN Ocean Conference

On World Oceans Day, Côte d’Ivoire became the latest country to ratify the ILO Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (No. 188), marking a major step toward advancing labour rights at sea.

In the lead-up to the Third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3), a high-level side event entitled “Protecting workers of the ocean”, organized by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) with the support of the International Labour Organization (ILO), brought fishers’ human and labour rights into the renewed focus of the international community. The event marked the launch of a global campaign to promote the wide ratification and implementation of the ILO Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (No. 188).

Speaking at the event on 8 June – World Oceans Day – ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo underscored that millions of fishers operated outside formal employment systems. Fishing is among the world’s most dangerous and least regulated sectors. Many are migrants and particularly vulnerable, with some subjected to labour exploitation, forced labour, human trafficking, and violence. These abuses are enabled by weak enforcement and a lack of transparency. Convention No. 188, adopted by the ILO’s tripartite constituents in 2007, provides a minimum universal standard for decent work in the fishing sector – protection long overdue in a sector essential to global food security.

The event also marked the deposit of the instrument of ratification of Convention No. 188 by Côte d’Ivoire whose Minister of Animal and Fisheries Resources, Sidi Touré, affirmed: “Côte d’Ivoire has made it a priority to develop the economic potential of its resources, but also to protect its workers. […] Those who work behind the scenes and enable us to benefit from quality and sustainable resources on our plates should be able to work in dignity and benefit from this specific commitment.” Côte d’Ivoire’s ratification builds on broader commitments to ocean sustainability, including its accession to the FAO Port State Measures Agreement and its support for a binding regional Protocol on Labour Standards for Crew and the Elimination of Forced Labour on Fishing Vessels, adopted by the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea and supported by the ILO. Subsequently, Belgium announced that it would deposit its own instrument of ratification of Convention No. 188 at the International Labour Conference.

To sustain this momentum, the ILO, together with the Governments of France and the United Kingdom, officially launched the “Partnership for Advancing Decent Work in Fisheries” Campaign – a multi-year initiative focusing on awareness-raising, advocacy, technical assistance, capacity-building, and elevating fisher voices. The ILO Director-General declared: “Fishers, like all ocean workers, deserve protection, dignity, and opportunity. A sustainable ocean economy must be inclusive, and that means respecting the labour rights of those at its core. […] If we can agree on widely ratifying, implementing and enforcing a global standard for seafarers, why not for fishers? The logic is clear. The tools exist. The moment is now.”

Éric Banel, France’s Director-General for Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture stated: “We are proud to announce the launch of a dedicated campaign to promote the ratification of Convention No. 188. IUU fishing, and the fight against IUU fishing, is one of the core messages that President Macron wants to convey through UNOC. The low level of ratification of ILO C188 is a strategic issue that we need to address as part of our common endeavour to eliminate IUU fishing.”

John Cousley MBE, Head of Seafarers at the Department for Transport of the United Kingdom, said: “A decent and safe working environment for fishers, free of exploitation, is important to the United Kingdom, as it should be for every country with a fishing fleet. That’s why we are joining France and the ILO in launching this strategic partnership at this UN Ocean Conference. The United Kingdom is committed to making poor working conditions a thing of the past and ensuring all who work at sea, whether seafarer or fisher, are protected.”

The campaign calls on all stakeholders – governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations, civil society, and private actors – who share the vision of a fairer, safer, and more sustainable fishing industry, to address unifiedly.

Team Maverick