At the meeting (Photo: VNA)Khanh Hoa (VNA) – Social responsibilitypractices in the Southeast Asian fishery sector was the focus of a regionalroundtable discussion on December 26.
The event was jointly held by the Vietnam TunaAssociation (Vinatuna) and Oxfam in Vietnam, with the participation of tunaprocessors, fishermen from central Khanh Hoa province, and online rapporteursin Southeast Asia.
Vu Dinh Giap, President of Vinatuna, highlighted theimportant role by the fishery sector in economic development of Vietnam andother Southeast Asian nations in general.
Vietnamese aquatic products have been shipped tomore than 100 countries and territories worldwide, he said, noting that the EU-VietnamFree Trade Agreement (EVFTA) that came into force since August has helped toconsolidate the foothold of these products in the market.
The discussion offers an opportunity for domesticand foreign delegates to exchange models and experience in social responsibilitypractice in the seafood sector, Giap added.
Nguyen Huu Huy Hoang, from the Vinatuna, shared theoutcome of a survey on social responsibility in fisheries in five Vietnameselocalities, and suggested revamping management of offshore fishermen,explaining that many of them are working without labour contracts, socialinsurance and satisfactory wages.
He proposed state agencies devise legal frameworksand documents guiding social responsibility practices, while improving the capacityof local officials in the sector.
A group of researchers from Da Nang Universitycalled for gender equality and women’s empowerment in fishery.
The delegates also touched upon the situationregarding social responsibility inVietnam’s fishery industry, and engaged in multilateral dialogues to seeksuitable policies to promote social responsibility practices in the regionalfishery industry in the time to come./.
VNA
