HC Deb 15 January 2002 vol 378 cc144-5W
Dr. Tonge

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contribution her Department has made to the sustainable fisheries livelihood project in West Africa. [27597]

Clare Short

The Department for International Development (DFID) agreed in 1998 to provide funds for a programme to address poverty in artisanal fisheries communities in 25 countries in West Africa. The programme is being implemented by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in partnership with the countries of the region and DFID.

The agreed financial contribution from my Department is £21.5 million to be disbursed over five years. To date, £5.5 million has been disbursed.

DFID's contribution to the project is not restricted to funds. The project is one of the first to incorporate an explicit focus on the livelihoods of fisheries-dependent communities. DFID have provided a lead to the FAO and planners in the countries of the region in the development of more effective methods and strategies for enhancing the livelihoods of poor people. DFID-led thinking and practice are having a wide influence on the policies and practices of FAO and others, including the International Fund for Agricultural Development, who are being assisted by the project to apply the livelihoods approach to other national fisheries programmes in the region.

Dr. Tonge

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many meetings have taken place to discuss the sustainable fisheries livelihood project; and how much money has been spent on each meeting. [27595]

Clare Short

The sustainable livelihoods fisheries project is one of the first to adopt an explicit people-centred, livelihoods approach to fisheries-dependent communities. These communities are among the poorest in West Africa. As part of the project DFID is also seeking to influence FAO's own ways of working.

Livelihoods approaches are participatory and communities are involved in decisions affecting their livelihoods. It is not possible to give an exact figure of the number of meetings held. They occur as part of the processes of design, appraisal, management, monitoring and review. They take place at local, national, regional and international levels. They vary in financial cost to the project from zero (when, for example, a local community meets to discuss its priorities and plans) to several thousands of pounds (when, for example, managers and national representatives come together each year to take strategic decisions). The meetings are held to address the objective of the project, which is the improvement of livelihoods in poor fisheries communities.

Dr. Tonge

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what activities have taken place as a result of the sustainable fisheries livelihood project in West Africa; and how they have benefited local communities. [27596]

Clare Short

A wide range of activities have taken place as a result of the project. At the level of policy, the project has prepared national strategies for poverty reduction in fisheries communities for Mali, Guinea and Guinea Bissau; has conducted analyses of the policies, institutions and processes which create and reinforce poverty in fisheries communities in Ghana and Senegal; and is developing general guidelines for reducing poverty in fisheries communities.

In addition, the project is providing support to enhance livelihoods in fishing communities through numerous small projects. A table listing these projects has been placed in the Library of the House.