Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Multi-stakeholder standards development process
The multi-stakeholder process sought to achieve a balance between inclusiveness,
representation and effectiveness in order to expedite the process of development,
but not at the expense of excluding important and strategic stakeholders. It was
acknowledged by the partners in the project that achieving this balance during the
developmental phase would ensure stronger buy-in and increased credibility in their
implementation. The stakeholder participation base was broadened to ensure repre-
sentation from relevant government departments, NGOs, industry peak bodies, and
researchers and academics with a particular interest in the LRFFT. This expanded
set of key stakeholders formed the LRFFT Standards Advisory Group (SAG). The
SAG, ensuring adequate stakeholder consultation and involvement, was tasked with
the further development and refinement of the Standard.
The project team considered that ongoing refinement of the Standard and best-
practice guidelines would be best ensured through a combination of in-country
'consultative seminars' and a rapid field-based assessment of the in-country capac-
ity to achieve the proposed Standard for wild-caught or aquaculture of LRFF. This
process can be summarised as addressing the:
practicability of monitoring and assessment techniques and management as-
pects of the Standard using recommended techniques and the capacity of source
countries to comply with or support these components; and
the capability of fishing vessel operators, fish processors and traders to meet
minimum best-practice standards for capture, storage, husbandry (including
farming) and transportation along the market chain.
Seminars were conducted in those source countries or regions where the LRFFT
was in operation - Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong, PRC and Aus-
tralia - and focused on key supply (wild caught, mariculture, transport) and
demand components of the Standard. These in-country seminars involved the par-
ticipation of relevant government agencies, NGOs, academic experts, industry as-
sociations, and LRFFT industry participants including fishers, buyers, exporters,
importer/wholesalers, restaurants and consumers.
A key purpose of the consultative seminars was to introduce the Standard to a
broad range of stakeholders not yet captured in the outreach activities. The use of
these seminars was seen as vital to encouraging and ensuring meaningful participa-
tion from those stakeholders who are less likely to provide comments in writing and
at international forums. The seminars proved very valuable in providing stakeholder
feedback and resulted in many refinements to the Standard.
Overall, one of the key issues arising out of these seminars was the wide variation
that exists between monitoring, enforcement and management capacity, as well as
the different technologies employed across countries engaged in the trade. It has
been noted that developing countries have significant, and often legitimate, concerns
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