STATEMENT BY HIS EM. CARD. PIETRO PAROLIN
SECRETARY OF STATE
ON THE OCCASION OF THE WORLD FISHERIES DAY
Monday, 21 November 2016
Mr Director General,
Your Eminence,
Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives,
Food and Agriculture Organization Officials,
Representatives of Civil Society,
Distinguished Speakers,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. I am grateful to the Director General of the FAO, Prof. José Graziano da Silva, for his kind words of welcome. I should like to express my esteem for the work of the FAO and its attention to the many issues related to human development, which the Catholic Church and the Holy See follow attentively. I also greet the distinguished speakers, who thanks to their recognised expertise, will give the right emphasis to this event on the occasion of World Fisheries Day.
As we are all aware, the fisheries sector makes a crucial contribution to global food security, human welfare and economic prosperity, and artisanal fishing is particularly important to coastal communities in many States. This is especially significant for developing Countries where fish products often account for half of the total value of traded commodities.
In relation to industrial fisheries, however, it is vital that the economic vision not forget to guarantee a level of human well-being that is compatible with environmental protection, in order to create long-term prosperity and to ensure a sustainable outlook for present and future generations.
In his Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’, Pope Francis, reminding us of the importance of safeguarding “our common home”, emphasizes that: “Oceans not only contain the bulk of our planet’s water supply, but also most of the immense variety of living creatures, many of them still unknown to us and threatened for various reasons. What is more, marine life in rivers, lakes, seas and oceans, which feeds a great part of the world’s population, is affected by uncontrolled fishing, leading to a drastic depletion of certain species. Selective forms of fishing which discard much of what they collect continue unabated. Particularly threatened are marine organisms which we tend to overlook, like some forms of plankton; they represent a significant element in the ocean food chain, and species used for our food ultimately depend on them” (n. 40).
Unfortunately, many areas have reached unsustainable levels of exploitation and the interventions of the international Community, including through the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, have essentially prevented the worsening of the situation.
2. Two centuries after the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, at least 20.9 million people continue to work under coercion, largely in the informal and illegal economy (Cfr. ILO, Global estimates 2012). About 90 per cent of today’s forced labour is imposed by private agents, primarily in labour intensive industries, such as fisheries. The study and the work of the competent international Organizations — I refer primarily to the FAO and the ILO, but without overlooking the civil society organizations highlights how fishing and aquaculture have become global industries employing large numbers of workers, often already made vulnerable as migrants, victims of trafficking or forced labour.
Workers aboard fishing vessels are isolated for long periods, being deprived not only of contractual guarantees, but also of the most basic fundamental rights. For such crews it means living in degrading conditions and in confined spaces, in circumstances that are tantamount to detention, with their documents confiscated and, in only a few cases, returned after long periods of forced and underpaid labour. In addition, this may mean that the crews of these ships are unable to disembark when in port, and so they are unable to escape, to prevent abuse or to seek assistance. This situation is aggravated in the case of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
We are witnesses to a tragic situation, in the face of which the international Community and its Institutions are making efforts to establish and develop specific solutions to eliminate forced labour from the global value chain. I think, for instance, of the new ILO Strategic Policy Framework, adopted in 2010, or of the recent decisions of the FAO Committee on Fisheries concerning illegal activities linked to the fishing industry, as well as the FAO Port State Measures Agreement, adopted in 2009 and today in force. There remains, however, the problem of their effective implementation, or, in other words, the willingness of the various parties involved.
3. In facing these challenges, the Holy See considers it crucial to develop capabilities to monitor, identify and rescue fishermen, who are victims of smuggling, trafficking and degrading treatment. The current standards of International Law oblige us to go beyond the reasons why individuals turn to smugglers and traffickers. We have not only a moral obligation to give people other opportunities, but also a binding obligation to offer them another chance.
An initial answer, on a practical level, may come in the form of tougher legal measures and enforcement procedures, which can benefit migrants working in the fisheries sector, allowing them to escape from human trafficking and slavery. In addition, at the intergovernmental level, it should be recognized that the specialized Agencies of the United Nations, as well as other international Organizations, now have the capacity to draw up sustainable alternatives; just think of the hypothesis of humanitarian visas, short-term visas, visas for seasonal workers. The countries of origin have the responsibility to facilitate intra-regional labour mobility for those seeking better living conditions. This may mean ensuring policies on migration, which respect the obligations established in Article 18 of the Protocol to the Palermo Convention on Transnational Organized Crime, on the prevention, suppression and pursuit of trafficking and smuggling of human beings.
This approach would also have the advantage of distinguishing between criminals and victims in an objective and thorough manner.
As Pope Francis reminds us: “Migrants are our brothers and sisters in search of a better life, far away from poverty, hunger, exploitation and the unjust distribution of the planet’s resources which are meant to be equitably shared by all. Don’t we all want a better, more decent and prosperous life to share with our loved ones?” (Message for the World Day for Migrants and Refugees 2016).
4. Only by working together, and coordinating our efforts, will we be able to break the clear chain of exploitation that affects the fishing industry in many countries, and show that, under International Law, it contains all the elements of a true crime against humanity.
We must do this by focusing on three fundamental objectives:
aid for the exploited and degraded fishermen, so as to facilitate their rehabilitation and reintegration;
compliance by States and Governments with the existing international rules on fishing, and, specifically, working in the fishing sector;
fighting against trafficking and smuggling using means, including coercive measures, to impose the rule of law and human rights standards. The ultimate goal is to preserve on the seas the legality that, for centuries, has been a sign of freedom and civilization.
The Holy See is very close to the international Organizations like FAO and ILO, which promote these objectives, and, through the institutions of the Catholic Church in different countries, it is ready to contribute to this effort. Our aim from a Christian perspective is “to let the oppressed go free” (Lk 4:18-19).
Thank you for your attention.
