A delegation led by the FCWC’s Secretary-General, Dr. Antoine Gaston DJIHINTO, met with the Secretary General of the Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Social Affairs, Norbert Boccace B. KANHOUNON on 28 July 2023 in Cotonou, Benin to discuss the ratification of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention C188.

The Convention C188 aims to ensure that fishers have decent conditions of work on board fishing vessels with regard to minimum requirements for work on board; conditions of service; accommodation and food; occupational safety and health protection; medical care and social security.

The meeting was a precursor to consultations that will be held to assess the stakeholders in the sector, the capacity of national authorities to safeguard fisher’s rights, and to better understand the nexus of forced labour, IUU fishing and labour abuses. The activity is included in the implementation plan for the 2022 MOU signed between the FCWC and the ILO which seeks to address decent working deficits in the fishing sector of the region.

The meeting also sought to advance the development of the Additional Protocol to the FCWC Convention to integrate the promotion of decent work and the fight against human rights abuses in the FCWC region, a recommendation that was adopted at the last FCWC Conference of Ministers in January 2023.