The Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) was created as a global, voluntary multi-stakeholder partnership to address the lack of government information in marine fisheries management, thereby increasing the accessibility, credibility, and usability of national fisheries management information. It is evident from FiTI’s previous work with African SIDS that despite their vulnerabilities to the climate crisis, little is known about how their fisheries management systems are adapting to climate change. This includes, for example, how projections on climate change are used to inform scientific assessments of fish stocks, how fisheries are integrated into national climate policies, and what support is required and being planned for the most vulnerable in the fisheries sector to protect and recover from climate disasters. There is a substantial risk that adaptations to climate change in the fisheries sector are not sufficiently identified, addressed, and budgeted for. There are also considerable risks of policy incoherence, evident, for example, in the expansion of other maritime sectors, such as tourism and coastal and offshore mining. Finally, countries with poor levels of transparency and accountability in their fisheries sector may also find accessing climate finance and ‘loss and damage’ funds increasingly difficult. International standards for climate finance increasingly demand that States have systems for monitoring key performance indicators, for example. Yet without credible and transparent information, SIDS may be at a distinct disadvantage. Given the importance of fisheries management transparency in the context of the climate crisis, this study targets all six African SIDS (Cabo Verde, Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritius, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Seychelles) to support national efforts to identify and start implementing climate actions for their fisheries sector. Additionally, the experiences of these countries will help the FiTI to develop a proposal for global transparency requirements on climate actions for the fisheries sector.

Objective
The overall objective of this study is to enable national stakeholders in all six African SIDS in identifying tangible fisheries-related recommendations for climate adaptation and mitigation, including improved access to information. This study is part of FiTI’s wider efforts in strengthening climate actions through transparent fisheries management in African Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Complementary research will be conducted over the next months to also elaborate the role of government transparency in accessing climate finance.

Scope of Services
The selected consultant will be responsible for the execution of the following three work packages (WP):

WP_1
Analyse international experiences and recommendations in developing fisheries-related climate actions, including:
▪ Conducting a study on international experiences in developing climate actions for the fisheries sector, with a particular focus on information needs (e.g., regarding the real and perceived impacts of climate change on fisheries).
▪ Compiling the recommendations contained in relevant international guidelines.
▪ Reviewing outcomes of the global review with FiTI International Secretariat to tailor research activities for WP_2 (if needed).

WP_2
Review existing national climate actions and stakeholders’ perspectives for the marine fisheries sector in each of the six African SIDS, including:
▪ Conducting desk research on:
o Which existing fisheries-specific policies and/or fisheries management activities already address climate resilience.
o How marine fisheries management is integrated into national strategies, policies, and projects related to climate mitigation and adaptation (e.g., National Adaptation Plans, Blue Economy strategies).
▪ Assessing the current level of information availability, public accessibility as well as data gaps regarding climate change’s threats and impacts (e.g., on aquatic systems, fisheries activities, social groups), mitigation and adaptation options, as well as budgetary support and access to climate finance (e.g., ‘loss and damage’).
▪ Conducting 5-7 virtual interviews per country to gather stakeholders’ perspectives on the vulnerabilities to the current climate crises as well as climate actions needed for their fisheries sector, including stakeholder recommendations on transparency, participation, and accountability mechanisms.
▪ Discussing the findings of the initial desk research as well as the gathered stakeholder feedback in each country to determine concrete, country-specific recommendations on how to mitigate and adapt to the threats of sustainable fisheries posed by climate change.
▪ Synthesising findings and recommendations in national summary sheets (not more than 10-15 pages per country, in the main language of the country).

WP_3
Consolidate findings of the current state of fisheries-related climate actions, including:
▪ Providing a summary report (not more than 50 pages, in English) for the current state of fisheries-related climate actions across all six African SIDS.
▪ Participating in a regional webinar (including international stakeholders) to launch the report and communicate key findings.
▪ Recommending transparency requirements related to climate actions in the fisheries sector (to be discussed for inclusion in a future FiTI Standard). Kindly note that for the execution of all three work packages country missions are not foreseen. Engagement with national stakeholders should be exclusively via digital means.

Deliverables
▪ Individual virtual interviews with stakeholders in all six African SIDS (5-7 interviews per country; total of around 40 interviews).
▪ Summary virtual workshops with stakeholders to discuss outcomes of interviews and desk research (one virtual workshop per country (max. 2 hours)).
▪ Final Report (no more than 50 pages, in English).
▪ National summary sheets (no more than 10 pages per country, in the country’s main language).

Qualifications
Interested consultants must demonstrate and provide examples of previous experience in the performance of similar services as follows:
▪ High expertise in sustainable fisheries governance, particularly relating to the impacts of climate change on marine fisheries ecosystems.
▪ Work experience in African countries, particularly in African Small Island Developing States.
▪ Experience working on climate change adaptation projects is a plus.
▪ Ability to facilitate stakeholder dialogues, research, interviews, and institutional analysis across non-profit, public, and private sectors, and to ensure that stakeholders are able to freely express their views and that requests for confidentiality are respected.
▪ Excellent writing skills, with a history of policy-relevant research and publications.
▪ Willingness to communicate findings in a non-partisan, objective fashion.
▪ Very good level of spoken and written English, French, and Portuguese.

In order to ensure the quality and independence of the exercise, candidates are required to disclose in their proposal any actual or potential conflicts of interest, together with commentary on how any such conflict can be avoided.