Journalists sensitised on key-findings of Seychelles’ Report to FiTI
On 16th March 2023, the Danny Faure Foundation (DFF) and the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) co-organised a workshop held under the theme ‘Using FiTI reports for informed journalism’.
The workshop was tailored specifically for local media practitioners with the aim to sensitise journalists on the key findings of Seychelles’ 2021 FiTI Report. The Report has been produced by Seychelles’ FiTI National Multistakeholder Group comprising of members from the government, business and civil society. The Group is responsible for how FiTI is implemented in Seychelles.
The workshop was also aimed at empowering and encouraging journalists to use FiTI Reports as a source of information in their reporting, and identifying the limitations that journalists encounter when working on subjects relevant to the fisheries sector.
Ms. Lorraine Faure, DFF’s Executive Director stated ‘With our values and objectives in sync, the DFF wholeheartedly supports the efforts of the FiTI in elevating the standard of accessibility and reliability of information on national fisheries management for the country. Accessible information guarantees transparency and accountability which we believe are necessary for the sustainable development and management of the marine fisheries sector, in Seychelles, in the wider western Indian ocean region and globally’.
Through the interactive session, facilitated by Mr. Will May, the Regional Coordinator for the Western Indian Ocean at FiTI’s International Secretariat, the participants explored the different data that the FiTI report showcases, shared their views on the progress observed in the fisheries sector and also the challenges that come with researching and reporting on fisheries related subjects.
Mr. Will May, FiTI’s Regional Coordinator, opined ‘FiTI’s approach to transparency is not only about increasing the availability of credible information in the public domain, but also ensuring that this information is actually made us of and feeds into better decision-making and oversight within the sector. Journalists play a vital role in this regard, whether in terms of holding government accountable for fisheries management decisions, spreading public awareness on key developments in the fisheries sector, or giving a voice to marginalised stakeholders. By familiarising national journalists with Seychelles’ 2021 FiTI Report, we hope to have drawn their attention to an important source of data on the country’s marine fisheries sector and strengthened their ability to effectively carry out these functions.’
Also present at the meeting was the National Coordinator for FiTI and Senior Economist in the Blue Economy Department, Ms. Fatime Kanté, and Consultant Dr. Jude Bijoux who compiled Seychelles’ first FiTI Report and who also shared experiences gained from the fisheries sector.
The DFF and the FiTI signed a partnership agreement in January 2023 as part of a shared vision to promote sustainable marine fisheries in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) through good governance, transparency and collective action. The media workshop was an inaugural activity, organised under this partnership. At the regional level, the DFF is supporting the efforts of the FiTI by promoting its work within the WIO as a tool to enhance good governance, transparency and multistakeholder engagements in the fisheries sector.
The FiTI International Secretariat is headquartered in Seychelles, since May 2019, after relocating from Germany. Seychelles is the second country in world, after Mauritania, to have been granted the status of a FiTI Candidate Country. For more information about the FiTI please visit their website at https://www.fiti.global/