EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

CARIBBEAN REGIONAL FISHERIES MECHANISM (CRFM) SECRETARIAT, is recruiting a consultant to perform in the capacity of a Knowledge Platform Facilitator, for the CRFM/CTA Caribbean Fisheries Knowledge Platform Project.

Duration and Time Allotment

The assignment shall be conducted during the period 1 April 2014 to 31 July 2014. The assignment will require a total of sixty (60) person days.

Duty station

Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) Secretariat, Belize City, Belize, although, travel to the Caribean region will be required as part of the duties/responsibilities.

Duties and and Responsibilities

The Facilitator will develop institutional capacities of participating discussants from fisherfolk organisations, the CRFM and other stakeholders, at the regional, national and community levels. He/She will:

1. Build organizational capacity to host debates and discussions online using existing systems;
2. Ensure that targeted users make effective use of email/web exchange systems to discuss ARD issues;
3. Put in place an integrated platform for knowledge exchange;
4. Deliver a technical platform that will host: (a) online repository that will comprise key documents regularly updated and (b) moderated e-mail exchanges and alerts. The selected platform will be part of the CTA’s and partners’ online resources; integrated with existing material and promoted;
5. Submit consultancy reports as per the Terms of Reference for this assignment.

Required Skills and Experience

• At least a Bachelors degree in Mass Communications or the equivalent
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Publisher, etc) and other business computer applications.
• Working knowledge of modern forms of remote collaborative communication systems (teleconferencing, video conference, Dgroups, Skype, GoTo Meetings, Webinars, etc.).
• Accurate, meticulous and results/performance oriented.
• Proven skills and experience in Information and Communications Technology (ICT).
• Five or more years experience at the regional and national levels in the Caribbean.
• Proven facilitation skills / knowledge are also required.
• Proven teaching experience would be an asset
• Project management experience would be an asset

Emoluments

An attractive compensation will be offered. Interested applicants should submit written applications, providing full details of qualifications, skills and experience no later than Friday, 14^th March 2014.

Applications should be addressed to Executive Director, CRFM Secretariat, Princess Margaret Drive, P.O. Box 642, Belize City. Belize, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or faxed to 501-223-4446

For more details regarding the post, please visit our website at www.crfm.int. or call 501-223-4443

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

CARIBBEAN REGIONAL FISHERIES MECHANISM (CRFM) SECRETARIAT, is recruiting a Consultant to perform in the capacity of a Knowledge Platform Content Specialist, for the CRFM/CTA Caribbean Fisheries Knowledge Platform Project.

Duty station

Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) Secretariat, Belize City, Belize, although, travel to the Caribean region will be required as part of the duties/responsibilities.

Duration and Time Allotment

The assignment shall be conducted during the period 1 April 2014 to 31 July 2014. The assignment will require a total of sixty (60) person days.

Duties and and Responsibilities

The Content Specialist will support the development of institutional capacities of participating discussants from fisherfolk organisations, the CRFM and other stakeholders, at the regional, national and community levels. He/she will:

1. Develop structured systems of key reference information to facilitate availability online;
2. Train targeted users to make effective use of email/web exchange systems to discuss ARD issues;
3. Assist selected organisations in making effective use of social media to support their communities of practice;
4. Deliver relevant documents, news and events relevant for the community to engage in the discussions and able to encourage their participation; and
5. Deliver requisite support for making effective use of face to face events online, through the use of available web tools in combination with the electronic discussion platform.
6. Submit consultancy reports as per the Terms of Reference for this assignment.

Required Skills and Experience

• At least a Bachelor’s degree in Information and Communications Technology or the equivalent
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Publisher, etc) and other business computer applications.
• Working knowledge of modern forms of remote collaborative communication systems (teleconferencing, video conference, Dgroups, Skype, GoTo Meetings, Webinars, etc.).
• Accurate, meticulous and results/performance oriented.
• Proven library skills.
• Proven skills and experience in knowledge and information management.
• Five or more years experience at the regional and national levels in the Caribbean.
• Proven teaching and facilitation experience would be assets

Emoluments

An attractive compensation will be offered. Interested applicants should submit written applications, providing full details of qualifications, skills and experience no later than Friday, 14^th March 2014.

Applications should be addressed to Executive Director, CRFM Secretariat, Princess Margaret Drive, P.O. Box 642, Belize City. Belize, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or faxed to 501-223-4446

For more details regarding the post, please visit our website at www.crfm.int. or call 501-223-4443

BELIZE CITY, Friday, February 14, 2014―The 22^nd Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM)―which has over the past two days been deliberating on matters such as coral reef management, the lobster fishery, and cooperation between CARICOM States and the French Island in fisheries―concludes today in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The CRFM Executive Committee consists of representatives of 6 member states of the regional inter-governmental fisheries organization. The membership of the committee is drawn from the Caribbean Fisheries Forum, a group of government officials, fishers and representatives of private companies from CRFM states tasked with providing technical support to the CRFM.

“The Committee is addressing a number of important regional initiatives designed to ensure sustainable use of our fisheries resources and protect the marine ecosystems,” said Milton Haughton, CRFM Executive Director.

During the course of this week's meeting, the Executive Committee also worked on a legal instrument to strengthen regional cooperation for the conservation, management and sustainable use of the spiny lobster and the protection of its habitat, Haughton added.

The CRFM Executive Committee has been meeting since 2003. It holds inter-sessional meetings twice a year between sittings of the Caribbean Fisheries Forum, as its principal mission is to advance the Forum's work using a consensus-building approach.

Belize City, Friday, February 7, 2014—Fisheries professionals from member states of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) travel to Kingstown in St. Vincent and the Grenadines next week, to take part in a three-day workshop on the development of a CRFM strategy to improve fisheries statistics, data and information, as they also try to resolve capacity challenges confronting Caribbean countries.

The event, which will focus centrally on present and emerging fisheries information demands, is a joint collaboration of the CRFM and the United Nations University – Fisheries Training Program (UNU – FTP) in Iceland.  It will look at the use of data for economic analysis and fisheries management purposes; the realistic analysis of fisheries data for stock assessment purposes, and future data requirements arising from international markets.

“We want to step back and carefully examine what we have done over the past several years, identify what has worked and what has not worked; identify the weaknesses and constraints, and determine how best to address these,” said CRFM Executive Director, Milton Haughton. “We are taking a more systematic, a more adaptive, and a more comprehensive approach in order to remove the existing constraints that are preventing us from achieving our objectives, and to improve the availability of reliable scientific data and information for decision-making and effective fisheries management.”

Haughton said that they hope to formulate a strategy that countries can agree upon, and use to guide the deployment of their limited human and financial resources in a more strategic and targeted manner.

Participants, who will include fisheries experts from CRFM member states, the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the United Nations University in Iceland and Canada, are expected to come up with new strategies and approaches to improve collection, analysis and management of fisheries statistics in the context of the Caribbean Community Common Fisheries Policy, which identifies this as a priority for Caribbean states.

The joint workshop is in line with a long-term partnership between the CRFM and the UNU – FTP, aimed at building national and regional capacities for fisheries development and management in the region.

The participants are expected to engage in a review and discussion of several relevant activities and reports produced by Caribbean countries. They are also expected to arrive at an agreement on present and emerging fisheries information demands; to make recommendations for appropriate capacity-building options; and to suggest modalities for facilitating the agreed capacity-building schemes.

Belize City; Tuesday, February 4, 2014—Seventeen member states of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) are making their voices heard in a milestone international case on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing—dubbed Case No. 21—which is being reviewed by the International Tribunal on Law of the Sea (ITLOS), based in Hamburg, Germany.

According to the CRFM Executive Director, Milton Haughton, “this is a very important international case which should not only contribute to the development of international and domestic law in an area that is important for effective conservation and management of fisheries, but also clarify the law in respect of the responsibility and liability of States and international organizations for IUU fishing.”

To date, more than 20 countries—Saudi Arabia, Germany, New Zealand, People's Republic of China, Australia, Japan, the UK, Chile, the EU, Sri Lanka and the US—and 8 organizations have submitted written arguments on Case No. 21. Those organizations include the CRFM, the Central American Fisheries and Aquaculture Organization (OSPESCA), the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, and the United Nations.

The latest order from ITLOS sets a deadline of Friday, March 14, 2014, for written submissions to be made in response to these arguments, before a final advisory ruling could be considered.

Case No. 21, lodged last March by the Sub-regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC) (Africa), investigates issues such as the obligations of the flag State in cases where IUU fishing is perpetrated within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of third party States, and the extent of the flag State's liability. The SRFC is located in Dakar, Senegal, and comprises seven member states: Cape Verde, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone.

In its written statement submitted last November, the CRFM said: “As a matter of general principle, it is the CRFM's view that there should be no lacunae in the obligations and liability of states for IUU fishing activities conducted by entities within their jurisdiction and control...”

Last October in Guyana, the 4th Special Meeting of the CRFM Ministerial Council, made up of fisheries ministers of participating Caribbean states, discussed the request from ITLOS for the CRFM to submit a statement on Case No. 21. The CRFM Ministerial Council said that this provides the region with an opportunity to influence international jurisprudence on the question of IUU fishing.

The CRFM Secretariat, based in Belize City, had secured the services of Harvard University graduate, Professor Pieter Bekker, chair of International Law, Dundee University, UK; former Professor of law at Columbia University (New York); former staff lawyer at the International Court of Justice (ICJ); and a partner in the international law firm, Steptoe & Johnson LLP – one of the largest law firms in the USA, to assist with the preparation of the brief on behalf of the CRFM. The CRFM has, furthermore, indicated that it intends to have legal representation to make an oral presentation when oral proceedings are eventually held.

In its comprehensive written submission of 112 pages plus annexes, the CRFM, an inter-governmental body for regional fisheries cooperation, said that the most important rights of the coastal state relates to the right to prevent IUU fishing of its resources, such as the right to legislate and enforce its laws, to ensure sustainable development and management of fish stocks, and to take all necessary steps to prevent, deter, eliminate—and punish—IUU fishing in the coastal state's jurisdiction.

The CRFM's views are in line with its overarching mission to promote sustainable use of living marine and other aquatic resources in the Caribbean, by development, efficient management, and conservation of such resources.

The Caribbean fisheries organization also highlighted the duty of countries to manage shared stocks in the EEZ, which requires cooperation between states whose nationals fish within and without the EEZ. As for the question of liability, the CRFM said that it is primarily a question of domestic law, and it is ultimately one to be decided by domestic courts having competent jurisdiction.

On flag State responsibility, the CRFM says that where the flag State has failed to fulfill its obligations and damage has occurred, the flag State may be liable for the actual amount of the damage, but if no damage has occurred, although the flag State was found in breach, the consequences of the wrongful act are determined under customary international law.

Furthermore, the flag State is bound to make the best possible efforts to ensure compliance by vessels flying their flag, within the context of relevant international rules and standards, and domestic laws and regulations, especially those concerning the protection and preservation of the marine environment.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) notes that, “IUU fishing undermines national and regional efforts to conserve and manage fish stocks and, as a consequence, inhibits progress towards achieving the goals of long-term sustainability and responsibility.”

In July 2010, the CRFM adopted the Castries (St. Lucia) Declaration on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, in which member States renewed their efforts to establish a comprehensive and integrated approach to preventing, deterring and eliminating IUU fishing, by emphasizing the primary responsibility of the flag State in accordance with international law; and they committed to ensuring that nationals do not support or engage in IUU fishing. CRFM member states also undertook to ensure that they exercise full control over fishing vessels flying their flag, in accordance with international law.

Belize City; Tuesday, February 4, 2014—Seventeen member states of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) are making their voices heard in a milestone international case on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing—dubbed Case No. 21—which is being reviewed by the International Tribunal on Law of the Sea (ITLOS), based in Hamburg, Germany.

According to the CRFM Executive Director, Milton Haughton, “this is a very important international case which should not only contribute to the development of international and domestic law in an area that is important for effective conservation and management of fisheries, but also clarify the law in respect of the responsibility and liability of States and international organizations for IUU fishing.”

To date, more than 20 countries—Saudi Arabia, Germany, New Zealand, People's Republic of China, Australia, Japan, the UK, Chile, the EU, Sri Lanka and the US—and 8 organizations have submitted written arguments on Case No. 21. Those organizations include the CRFM, the Central American Fisheries and Aquaculture Organization (OSPESCA), the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, and the United Nations.

The latest order from ITLOS sets a deadline of Friday, March 14, 2014, for written submissions to be made in response to these arguments, before a final advisory ruling could be considered.

Case No. 21, lodged last March by the Sub-regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC) (Africa), investigates issues such as the obligations of the flag State in cases where IUU fishing is perpetrated within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of third party States, and the extent of the flag State's liability. The SRFC is located in Dakar, Senegal, and comprises seven member states: Cape Verde, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone.

In its written statement submitted last November, the CRFM said: “As a matter of general principle, it is the CRFM's view that there should be no lacunae in the obligations and liability of states for IUU fishing activities conducted by entities within their jurisdiction and control...”

Last October in Guyana, the 4th Special Meeting of the CRFM Ministerial Council, made up of fisheries ministers of participating Caribbean states, discussed the request from ITLOS for the CRFM to submit a statement on Case No. 21. The CRFM Ministerial Council said that this provides the region with an opportunity to influence international jurisprudence on the question of IUU fishing.

The CRFM Secretariat, based in Belize City, had secured the services of Harvard University graduate, Professor Pieter Bekker, chair of International Law, Dundee University, UK; former Professor of law at Georgetown University; former staff lawyer at the International Court of Justice (ICJ); and a partner in the international law firm, Steptoe & Johnson LLP – one of the largest law firms in the USA, to assist with the preparation of the brief on behalf of the CRFM. The CRFM has, furthermore, indicated that it intends to have legal representation to make an oral presentation when oral proceedings are eventually held.

In its comprehensive written submission of 112 pages plus annexes, the CRFM, an inter-governmental body for regional fisheries cooperation, said that the most important rights of the coastal state relates to the right to prevent IUU fishing of its resources, such as the right to legislate and enforce its laws, to ensure sustainable development and management of fish stocks, and to take all necessary steps to prevent, deter, eliminate—and punish—IUU fishing in the coastal state's jurisdiction.

The CRFM's views are in line with its overarching mission to promote sustainable use of living marine and other aquatic resources in the Caribbean, by development, efficient management, and conservation of such resources.

The Caribbean fisheries organization also highlighted the duty of countries to manage shared stocks in the EEZ, which requires cooperation between states whose nationals fish within and without the EEZ. As for the question of liability, the CRFM said that it is primarily a question of domestic law, and it is ultimately one to be decided by domestic courts having competent jurisdiction.

On flag State responsibility, the CRFM says that where the flag State has failed to fulfill its obligations and damage has occurred, the flag State may be liable for the actual amount of the damage, but if no damage has occurred, although the flag State was found in breach, the consequences of the wrongful act are determined under customary international law.

Furthermore, the flag State is bound to make the best possible efforts to ensure compliance by vessels flying their flag, within the context of relevant international rules and standards, and domestic laws and regulations, especially those concerning the protection and preservation of the marine environment.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) notes that, “IUU fishing undermines national and regional efforts to conserve and manage fish stocks and, as a consequence, inhibits progress towards achieving the goals of long-term sustainability and responsibility.”

In July 2010, the CRFM adopted the Castries (St. Lucia) Declaration on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, in which member States renewed their efforts to establish a comprehensive and integrated approach to preventing, deterring and eliminating IUU fishing, by emphasizing the primary responsibility of the flag State in accordance with international law; and they committed to ensuring that nationals do not support or engage in IUU fishing. CRFM member states also undertook to ensure that they exercise full control over fishing vessels flying their flag, in accordance with international law.

CRFM, Belize City, Belize January 30, 2014.    Deputy Executive Director of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) Secretariat, Susan Singh-Renton, recently attended the Project Preparation Inception Workshop for a project on sustainable management of bycatch in Latin America and Caribbean trawl fisheries (REBYC-II LAC). The Workshop, held during 19-22 January 2014 in Paramaribo, Suriname, brought together fisheries experts representing six countries from the Caribbean and Latin America. The country experts, facilitated by experts from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), discussed plans for the REBYC-II LAC project, which is being proposed for sponsorship by the GEF to the tune of 5.8 million US dollars, with at least 3 times as much co-financing to be provided also by the beneficiary and participating countries and agencies.

REBYC-II LAC arose from the recommendations of an earlier related project, REBYC-I LAC, which was also funded by the GEF and carried out by the FAO during 2002-2008. While the REBYC-I LAC focused more understanding the impacts of trawl gear on the environments in which these gears are used, and also improving fishing technologies to reduce the associated bycatch and adverse habitat impacts, REBYC-II LAC hopes to focus more on the management aspects - that is to say, understanding the nature and usage of bycatch and working towards sustainable management of the bycatch, and the security of the dependent livelihoods.

Key steps in the management process are therefore being targeted in REBYC-II LAC. In particular, the project is expected to develop options to address gaps in policy, legislation, and management planning instruments for supporting sustainable management of the region’s trawl fisheries, while giving due consideration to use of participatory approaches and the FAO’s International Guidelines on Bycatch Management and Reduction of Discards. In addition, there will be continued work on strengthening the technical information base to support management decisions, and analysing livelihood impacts and how to deal with these. The project is also designed to have a clear monitoring and evaluation plan that can satisfy both donor and beneficiary needs, and facilitate sharing of best practices.

CRFM member countries Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago are participating in REBYC-II LAC, which once approved by the GEF, is expected to run for five years. As Suriname hosted the Workshop, there was a wide cross-section of representation from the Surinamese fisheries industry in attendance. CRFM Secretariat’s Deputy Executive Director noted that ‘the project comes at a time when the region is working towards achieving a coordinated multi-level ocean governance arrangement on a Caribbean-wide scale, and so it would be important for the project’s planned activities to complement this ongoing initiative that began with the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem project’.

In helping the project to achieve its goals, the CRFM, in collaboration with 2 other regional fisheries bodies (WECAFC and OSPESCA), has agreed to provide its usual regional coordination support, and to help establish a regional decision support system that can connect, and make fullest use of, the proposed improved national trawl fisheries monitoring systems for better overall regional ocean governance. CRFM will also be involved in technical studies to investigate possible solutions to region-wide problems of piracy/ illegal fishing and livelihood security in respect of these fisheries.

        This document presents the results of an institutional assessment of the Caribbean regional climate and modeling agencies  that are central to the implementation of the investment programme of the Caribbean Regional Strategic Program for Climate Resilience (SPCR).The agencies that are included in this evaluation of the Programme will be the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI), University of West Indies (UWI), Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH). The report assesses the current institutional capacity of these agencies from the perspective of the sub-components and activities that each is expected to implement.

        This document presents the results of an institutional assessment of the Caribbean regional climate and modeling agencies  that are central to the implementation of the investment programme of the Caribbean Regional Strategic Program for Climate Resilience (SPCR).The agencies that are included in this evaluation of the Programme will be the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI), University of West Indies (UWI), Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH). The report assesses the current institutional capacity of these agencies from the perspective of the sub-components and activities that each is expected to implement.