UNESCO Roundtable in Ghana Tackles Gender, Climate Change, and Exploitation in Fisheries
On 16 September, GRÓ Fisheries Training Programme (FTP) joined a one-day online roundtable discussion addressing transactional sex for fish in coastal Ghana. The meeting, organised by UNESCO, brought together government representatives, civil society, and development partners to highlight the urgent need to confront this exploitative practice, in which women and adolescent girls are pressured to exchange sexual favours for access to fish.
Speakers highlighted how climate change, economic hardship, and gender inequality are fuelling the crisis. Rising sea levels, declining fish stocks, and unpredictable weather patterns are destabilising traditional livelihoods, leaving women and girls especially vulnerable.
The roundtable focused on practical solutions. Recommendations included:
- Promoting sustainable and climate-resilient fishing practices and aquaculture.
- Supporting alternative livelihoods to reduce dependence on increasingly scarce fish stocks.
- Reforming fisheries and gender policies to strengthen accountability and protection.
- Enhancing community dialogue to ensure local ownership of solutions.
GRÓ FTP, which has trained 13 fellows from Ghana since 2008, was invited to participate through its ongoing collaboration with the Ghana Fisheries Commission and the UNESCO national office. Julie Ingham represented GRÓ FTP at the event on Zoom. The event was highly informative, and consolidated recommendations will be published soon. During the closing session, Julie reaffirmed that GRÓ FTP as a development partner remains committed to working with its Ghanaian partners and fellows to address critical challenges in sustainable fisheries.
