Report of Regional Consultation
for the Identification of Technical Assistance Needs of
Tsunami Affected Coastal Fishing Community
Medan and Aceh, 7-10 February
2006
1. The
Regional Consultation for the Identification of Technical Assistance
Needs of Tsunami Affected Coastal Fishing Community was held in
Medan and Banda Aceh, on 7 – 10 February 2006. The Consultation was
organized under the joint cooperation of the Government of the
Republic of
Indonesia,
the “Common Fund for Commodities” (CFC), INFOFISH and the
“Non-Aligned Movement Centre for South-South Technical Cooperation”
(NAM CSSTC).
2.
Fourteen (14) participants from the five tsunami-affected countries
attended the Consultation, namely from
Indonesia, India, Maldives, Sri Lanka
and
Thailand,
consisting of policy makers, technical experts, and representatives
of fishing communities. Nine (9) participants attended the
Consultation as representatives from potential donors and
international organizations, namely: Australia/IFC, FAO, ADB,
Worldfish Center,
Triangle Generation Humanitaire, Mercy Corps, and USAID. Ten (10)
participants from the host country also took part in the
Consultation.
3. The
objective of the Consultation is to identify specific technical
assistance needs of the coastal communities affected by the tsunami
that hit the region on 26 December 2004. The Consultation is also a
forum for dialogue and sharing experience among participants in
order to identify the constraints and problems faced by the affected
countries. Participants of the Consultation are expected to
formulate appropriate recommendations and assistance within the
frame-work of fisheries communities rehabilitation programme.
Opening Session
4.
Director of NAM CSSTC, Ms. Linggawaty Hakim, welcomed the
participants to the Consultation, followed by opening address by Mr.
Tailai Lu, the representative of CFC. The Consultation was
officially opened by H.E. Mr. Imron Cotan, the Secretary General of
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of
Indonesia,
who stated in his opening remarks that the Consultation was a
reflection of collaborative effort and shared commitment of the
international community to assist the affected coastal and fishing
communities.
5.
It was further emphasized during the
opening session that rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts
should not only focus on repairing the damaged fishing
infrastructures and equipments, but also on capacity building of the
affected people to enable them to run sustainable fishing
expeditions in the future without compromising the environment.
Rehabilitation should also
be based on a study of the fishery sector’s medium and long-term
needs and of its trade pattern development, for damage to fisheries
has definitely become a factor in hampering domestic and
international trade in fish and fish-related commodity.
Field Trip to NAD
6.
A field
trip to Nangroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) was conducted on 8 February
2006 in order to get a clear picture of the situation regarding the
damage caused by the tsunami and the progress of the rehabilitation
and reconstruction efforts that have been done by the Government of
the Republic of
Indonesia
in cooperation with donors.
7.
During the
visit in Banda Aceh, participants were guided and briefed by the
representatives from the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency
for NAD and Nias (BRR), the regional office of the Ministry of
Marine Affairs and Fisheries, and Panglima Laot (local fishermen
organization), particularly on the policy and the programme
implementation in the sectors of housing, infrastructures, fishery
industries, education, health and livelihood.
8.
The field
trip included a visit to fishing landing site at Lampulo, where
integrated fishing industry is being constructed to facilitate
medium-up scale fishermen with the support of international donors.
Another visit was made to the Boat Workshop at Lok Nga that has been
building the small fishing boat for small fishermen equipped with
fishing tools. The boat workshop is being supported by a French
NGO-the Triangle of Humanitarie as an effort to reactivate fishery
activities in Aceh Besar district.
9.
Participants had also the opportunity to observe the destroyed
fishermen village in Ulee Le and other damaged areas affected by
tsunami.
Country Report
10.
Participants from
the five tsunami-affected countries presented Country Report on the
effect of tsunami and the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts
in their respective countries.
11.
Discussions took
place after each presentation, particularly to further clarify the
substantive matters of the Country Report. Some main issues raised
by participants during the discussion were, among others: (1)
capacity building on the development of aquaculture, boat
construction, storage and handling process, project planning and
management; (2) community level early warning system; (3) building
of infrastructure, such as fish landing centres and markets;
irrigation networks for ponds; cold storage and ice making plants;
(4) rehabilitation of coastal habitat/eco-system; (5) needs of
better standard on fishery activities; and (6) extension services.
Presentation by Regional/International Organization, Donor Agencies
and
NGOs
12.
Representatives
from donors and international organizations/institutions elaborated
the wide ranging activities undertaken by them in tandem with the
effort of rehabilitation and reconstruction of the affected areas,
particularly in Aceh and Nias. Special focus laid in the activities
of sustainability of resources, income/employment generation
including skills development, and empowerment of women.
Worldfish Centre
13. The
representative of Worldfish Centre explained that the organization
has been involved in the fisheries rehabilitation project in Aceh,
funded by ACIAR, working together with UNSYIAH, MMAF & Agency for
Marine & Fisheries Research, and Dinas Perikanan.
14. The overall
aim of its work is to ensure that the Indonesian Strategy for
rehabilitation and restoration of capture fisheries results in
improved and sustainable fisheries livelihoods for coastal
communities and improved fisheries management. It is also intenden
to strengthen the capacity of local researchers in fisheries and
livelihood assessments and local fisheries officers in fisheries
management and community engagement.
15. Worldfish
Centre is interested to develop its work focussed on fishing effort,
sharing arrangement of catch, marketing channel, and livelihood
options.
ADB
16. The
representative of ADB explained that the organization has been
working closely with BRR Fisheries Steering Committee to
rehabilitate the fishing affected economic sector in Aceh. Its
support focussed on the development of infrastructure, aquaculture,
boat building, services, and environment.
17. The project is
being implemented in 11 districts in NAD and Nias, with integrated
approach in the fields of community empowerment, capture fisheries,
aquaculture facilities, infrastructure and post-harvest facilities,
coastal resources rehabilitation, and restoring support services.
IFC
18. The
representative of International Finance Corporation (IFC) explained
that the organization is a development arm of the World Bank aimed
at supporting micro business activity and access to finance. IFC
draws its funding from International Donors, while IFC Aceh-Nias is
financed by the Australian Government.
19. IFC has not
been involved in the rehabilitation phase of the affected tsunami
areas. However, it will support the long term evolution of Aceh –
Nias beyond rehabilitation, particularly in the development of the
shrimp aquaculture sector (institutional strengthening and value
chain activities) and the institutional strengthening of fisher
group, supporting integration of organizational management, micro
credit and revolving funds leading to the adoption of micro projects
and product marketing.
20. IFC has
particular interest in Vessel construction, Harbour construction,
Aquaculture, Community empowerment, Credit and Micro- credit,
Marketing, and Support infrastructure.
Triangle Generation Humanitaire
21. The
representative of Triangle briefed participants on the work of its
organization that has been in operation in Aceh to evaluate the
intervention opportunities. After 3 week assessment, Triangle has
found potential rehabilitation activities in fisheries sector and
psychosocial-educational sector to be implemented in Aceh, with the
support of corporate financial partners, particularly the European
Union, French Government and FAO.
22.
The general
objective of rehabilitation and reconstruction work in Aceh is aimed
to support the local government in the recovery of the affected
fisheries community, particularly in the reconstruction of fishery
infrastructure and equipment; building traditional fishing wooden
boats; enhancing the storage and handling process; reorganization of
the cooperatives and rehabilitation of river embankments; and
digging seashore.
Mercy Corps
23. The
representative of Mercy Corps explained that the organization is an
international NGO working in a number of areas throughout Indonesia.
Within Aceh, Mercy Corps operates from two offices; one in Banda
Aceh and one in Meulaboh, with activities focused around community
mobilisation and development, infrastructure (excluding housing),
social revitalisation (e.g. arts and culture, midwife clinics,
sports facilities) and livelihoods (fisheries, aquaculture,
agriculture, livestock, forestry and small business). A majority of
Mercy Corps fisheries activities are being implemented in Aceh Barat
although it also conducts aquaculture programs in Aceh Besar.
24. Within Aceh
Barat Mercy Corps has worked with the fisheries sector in 23
villages within 5 sub-districts. Merci Corps has been working
closely with Panglima Laot, Ministry of Marine Affairs and
Fisheries, and IPB – Coastal marine research centre at Bogor
University.
25. Mercy Corps
has been predominantly involved in asset replacement by providing
cash grants and some materials to fishers, fish sellers, fish
processors and infrastructure programs. It is now looking at longer
term sustainable development activities particularly focusing on
community based initiatives and working with local institutions.
Group Discussion
26.
In order to
formulate appropriate capacity building programme and technical
assistance required by the affected countries, participants were
divided into two Working Groups, namely Group I to discuss the issue
of “Aquaculture”, and Group II to discuss the issue of “Fishing and
Resource Management”. Each Group focused its discussion on four main
subjects, i.e. (1) handling, processing, and marketing; (2)
environmental rehabilitation; (3) institutional
strengthening/capacity building; and (4) infrastructure development
needs.
Group
I-Aquaculture
27.
The Working Group I was chaired by Mr. Ajay Battacharya (India),
consisting of 9 members, namely: Dr. Andrea Mottram (Mercy Corps
Indonesia), Aniza Suspita (Indonesia), Hussain Niyaaz (Maldives),
Tarlochan Singh (INFOFISH), Fernandes (Sri Lanka), S.Bandara (Sri
Lanka), Soen’an H.Poernomo (Indonesia), Chairong Rasanasomsithi
(Thailand), and Richard Banks (IFC-Australia).
28.
The Group took
note of the following situation in the affected area:
Thailand:
15 M square metres of shrimp pond and 1 M square of fish ponds lost.
Mangroves where existed provided sufficient protection. The problem
is that in many cases mangroves were destroyed before the Tsunami.
Opportunities: Restoration of mangroves.
Indonesia:
Major losses in farms in major producing areas (40% or 15,000 ha),
loss of hatcheries (80%). Opportunities: New species.
Sri-Lanka:
small scale farming losses but support infrastructure supported
India:
few farms were affected, generally lower levels of loss than
fisheries. Aquaculture is considered as a valuable alternative
development post Tsunami.
29. As a follow-up
action, the Group made the following recommendations for
rehabilitation and reconstruction of the affected areas:
Short-term
-
rehabilitation
of tsunami affected land with the view to re-establishing
aquaculture (***) / F
-
assessment of
appropriate land use patterns for tsunami affected areas (***) TA
/ F
-
reestablishment
of hatcheries, fish farms and cage culture facilities (***) TA
-
reestablishment
of ice production and supply (*) F
-
support in
handling, processing and marketing including product and market
diversification (**) TA / F
-
implementation
of mechanisms for aquaculture advisory and extension support (**)
TA
-
strengthening
and rebuilding farmers organizations/groups where necessary (**)
TA / F
-
establish
suitable mechanisms to facilitate coordination among the various
stakeholders such as executors/ NGOs/ individually-collectively
owned farms/ regulatory authorities etc (**) TA
Medium Term
-
rehabilitation
of mangrove vegetation through replanting and sustainable
management (***) TA / F
-
encouragement of
sustainable and environmental friendly aquaculture practices and
other developmental activities (***) TA / F
-
introduction of
improved monitoring mechanisms for aquaculture health management,
environmental monitoring and culture technologies (**)TA / F
-
appropriate
technological and market interventions for assurance of product
safety/quality and product/ market diversification (**)TA / F
-
introduction/
reestablishment of backyard hatcheries capable of producing
quality seed for restocking (*)TA
Long Term
-
establish
suitable mechanisms for identifying appropriate regulatory
frameworks for sustainable development of aquaculture
-
initiate
development of a code of conduct encompassing best aquaculture
practices
Note:
TA: Technical
Assistance
F: Financial
Support
*): Scale of
Priority and Urgency
Group II –
Fishing and Resource Management
30.
The Working Group
II was chaired by Dr. Faathin Hameed (Maldives), consisting of 9
members, namely: D.S Nandasena (Sri Lanka), Len R Garces (World Fish
Centre), Sulaiman Habeeb (Maldives), Dede Solehudin (Indonesia),
Bashar A.M Ali (Triangle Generation Humanitarie), A.J. Banga
(India), K. Krishna (India), Mohd. Adli Abdullah (Indonesia),
Richard Coutts (ADB-Etesp Fisheries).
31.
As a follow-up
action, the Group made the following recommendations for
rehabilitation and reconstruction of the affected areas:
-
Improvements to
fishing vessel design taking into consideration, safety, fuel
efficiency, deck/on-board handling and storage facilities (***) TA
/ F
-
Establish
fishing vessel standard for the coastal / multi-day fishing fleets
(***) TA
-
Stock assessment
to ensure sustainable utilization of resources through the
establishment of appropriate legal framework for resource
management and incorporating suitable fishing vessel registration
mechanisms (***) TA
-
Empowering of
fisher communities to strengthen their participation in resource
management, planning and development through mechanisms such as
propagation of community based, co-management arrangements,
cooperatives, etc (***) TA
-
Provision of
training, including technology transfer to promote adoption of
improved, cost effective fishing technologies by the fishing
communities (**) TA
-
Studies to
identify, promote and implement alternative livelihood
opportunities (**) TA / F
-
Improve and
develop access to credit and microfinance to facilitate income/
employment generation among affected communities (***) TA / F
-
reestablish and
develop institutional arrangements for fisher safety at sea (***)
TA / F
-
to identify and
assess the needs for appropriate post harvest facilities and
investments to ensure product/ market development such as
landing, post harvest handling/processing and marketing (***) TA
-
identify and
implement mechanisms to improve existing marketing systems or to
develop marketing arrangements (both domestic and export) to
ensure better returns for fishers (***) TA / F
-
Establish
quality assurance systems and food safety standards and good
handling/manufacturing practices (***) TA / F
-
Promote HACCP
when re-establishing new landing, processing and market sites
(***) TA
-
Assess and
establish appropriate transport arrangements and infrastructure to
re-establish and improve the logistcs/links between
landing/processing sites and markets (***) TA / F
-
Training in
handling, product preservation, improved processing, packaging and
marketing - Focus on empowerment of women (***) TA
-
Training/awareness to promote entrepreneurial/business planning,
development and management skills of fishers and fisher
collectives (***) TA
-
Assessment of
market opportunities for existing and potential new products, to
promote product diversification and reduce vulnerabilities to
external market fluctuations (**) TA
-
Establishment/improvement of market information systems networks
(**) TA
-
Strengthen
existing local institutional arrangements, and, where such
arrangements do no not exist at present, organize and build
capacity of fishing communities to strengthen their bargaining
power and socio-economic returns (***) TA / F
-
Support for
development of fishery extension services (***) TA / F
-
Capacity
building on research and training institutions to develop and
deliver appropriate training and technology transfer to fishers -
Rebuild / re-equip damaged institutions (***) TA / F
-
Build /
strengthen public-private partnerships (**) TA
-
Assess training
needs in all stages of fish production chains, and develop
appropriate training delivery arrangements (**) TA
-
Establish
training facilities for fish workers (**) TA /F
-
Promote
knowledge transfer and supportive networks between fishing
communities from different countries (***) TA
-
Support for
development and use of MCS (**) TA
-
Develop and
implement integrated fisheries policy and plans (***) TA
-
Strengthen /
develop data collection systems and analysis of socio-economic and
biological status, using participatory and needs based approaches
(***) TA
Adoption of the Working Groups Recommendations
32.
Following a
lengthy discussion, the Consultation adopted the recommendations
made by the Working Groups for further follow-up action and concrete
implementation in the five-affected countries. In this regard, the
affected countries were encouraged to formulate and develop
appropriate project proposals for consideration by donors and
international organizations/institutions. The recommendations should
also be submitted to FAO for further consideration by all its
members to acquire the support required for such rehabilitation.
33.
The Consultation
took note of the offer made by the Indonesian participant that the
Government of Indonesia would be prepared to coordinate the proposed
regional cooperation as recommended by this Consultation. In this
regard, the related institutions such as the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, as well as
NAM CSSTC, would be involved in the implementation of the
recommendation resulted in the Consultation.
Closing Session
34.
Participants expressed their appreciation and gratitude to the
Government of the Republic of
Indonesia, CFC, INFOFISH,
NAM
CSSTC and members of the organizing committee for organizing the
Regional Consultation, which is important and useful for sharing of
experience and accelerating the recovery process in the tsunami
affected areas.
35.
At the closing
session, the representative of Indonesia, Dr. Hadimulyo, and the
representative of CFC, Mr. Tailai Lu, made their closing remarks by
thanking all participants for taking part actively in the
Consultation. They emphasized the need to continue to work together
and strengthen regional cooperation to contribute to the efforts of
the rehabilitation and reconstruction of coastal and fishing
community. Donor countries and institutions were called upon to
financially support the implementation of such recommendations.
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