Sustainable Fisheries for Yemen’s Resilience – World Bank Group

Report on the Sustainable Fishery Development Program in Yemen

Introduction: Addressing Crises in Yemen’s Fisheries Sector through Sustainable Development

Yemen’s vital fisheries sector, a cornerstone for coastal communities, faces severe challenges from prolonged conflict and climate change. The Sustainable Fishery Development in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (SFISH) Program, a $45 million initiative by the World Bank and partners including UNDP and SMEPS, is being implemented to counter these pressures. The program’s interventions are strategically aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aiming to rebuild infrastructure, restore livelihoods, and ensure long-term environmental and economic resilience. Key objectives include advancing SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 14 (Life Below Water).

Sectoral Challenges and Pre-Conflict Status

The fisheries sector in Yemen has been devastated by a combination of conflict, regulatory weakness, and environmental pressures, undermining progress toward several SDGs. The primary challenges include:

• Economic Decline: Formerly Yemen’s second-largest export, contributing 3% to GDP and supporting 1.7 million people, the sector has seen exports fall by 25%. This decline directly threatens livelihoods and national economic stability, hindering the achievement of SDG 1 and SDG 8.
• Infrastructure Damage: Conflict has damaged boats, landing sites, and cold storage facilities, disrupting the value chain and increasing food insecurity, which works against SDG 2.
• Resource Pressure: The number of fishers has increased significantly, placing greater strain on limited marine resources.
• Climate Change Impacts: Ocean acidification and rising sea temperatures are reducing fish stocks, with projections indicating a potential 23% drop in catches by mid-century. This environmental degradation is a direct challenge to SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 14.

The Sustainable Fishery Development (SFISH) Program: A Multi-faceted Intervention

The SFISH program employs a comprehensive strategy to revitalize the fisheries sector by empowering communities, rebuilding infrastructure, and promoting sustainable practices, thereby contributing to multiple SDGs.

Empowering Local Communities and Enhancing Livelihoods

Direct support to individuals is a core component of the program’s effort to achieve SDG 1 and SDG 8.

1. Nearly 4,000 fishers and entrepreneurs have received support to increase productivity and income.
2. The program has contributed to the creation or improvement of over 7,300 jobs, fostering economic growth and reducing poverty in coastal regions.

Promoting Gender Equality and Economic Inclusion

In alignment with SDG 5 (Gender Equality), the program has placed a specific focus on empowering women within the fish value chain.

• Over 800 female entrepreneurs have received funding and training to adopt modern, sustainable business practices.
• This support enables women to establish and expand their businesses, improving household economic stability and promoting inclusive growth.

Rebuilding Infrastructure for Climate Resilience and Efficiency

The rehabilitation of critical infrastructure addresses SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) while incorporating climate adaptation measures relevant to SDG 13.

• Nine landing sites are being rehabilitated, each serving up to 1,500 fishers.
• Upgrades include new auction halls, sanitation facilities, and utility networks.
• The construction of flood-protection walls enhances climate resilience, safeguarding assets and livelihoods from extreme weather events.
• These improvements reduce post-harvest losses and improve market access, contributing to SDG 2 by making more fish available to consumers.

Fostering Sustainable Business Practices

SFISH promotes the adoption of sustainable technologies and business models to enhance efficiency and environmental performance, supporting SDG 8 and SDG 13.

• Renewable Energy Adoption: The Bawazir Ice & Fish Preservation Factory installed a solar-power system with program support, cutting energy costs by 25%, ensuring operational reliability, and reducing carbon emissions.
• Value Chain Enhancement: The Al-Sahel Packaging Facility increased its daily output by 300% and diversified its products, opening new markets and pursuing international certification to expand exports.

Strengthening Regional Cooperation for Marine Sustainability

The program extends beyond national borders to foster regional collaboration, a key tenet of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), to protect shared marine ecosystems in line with SDG 14.

• In partnership with the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (PERGSA), a regional protocol to strengthen fish-stock data has been signed by Djibouti, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Yemen.
• A regional action plan has been developed to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
• A regional contingency plan for oil and chemical spills has been established to improve environmental preparedness and protection.

Future Outlook: Building a Resilient and Sustainable Blue Economy

The SFISH program is laying the groundwork for a sustainable future for Yemen’s fisheries, with a continued focus on SDG 14.

1. Aquaculture Development: The program is exploring aquaculture and mariculture opportunities, such as spiny lobster and sea cucumber farming, to reduce pressure on wild fish stocks.
2. Community-Based Management: The development of community-based fisheries management plans is underway to ensure local stewardship and the long-term health of marine resources.

The tangible results of the SFISH program demonstrate that targeted interventions aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals can foster resilience, restore livelihoods, and build a foundation for an equitable and sustainable future, even in conflict-affected settings.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 1: No Poverty

   • The article highlights that the fisheries sector is a main source of income for coastal communities. The SFISH program aims to improve livelihoods and economic situations, directly addressing poverty by helping fishers “earn a stable living” and making “a tangible difference for thousands of households.”

2. SDG 2: Zero Hunger

   • The article states that fisheries are a “main source of food” and that the conflict has driven “food insecurity.” The SFISH program’s goal of “securing food systems” directly contributes to achieving zero hunger.

3. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • The program specifically targets female empowerment. The article mentions that “over 800 female entrepreneurs received funding to help them adopt modern, sustainable practices,” which supports women’s economic empowerment and participation.

4. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

   • The article provides a specific example of the Bawazir Ice & Fish Preservation Factory installing a “solar-power system with SFISH support, cutting energy costs by one quarter” and reducing carbon emissions. This is a direct contribution to promoting clean energy.

5. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • The project focuses on revitalizing a key economic sector that once contributed 3% of Yemen’s GDP. It aims to generate jobs and improve incomes, with the article stating it has “contributed to the creation and improvement of over 7,300 jobs.”

6. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

   • A core component of the SFISH program is “rebuilding critical infrastructure.” The article details the rehabilitation of “nine landing sites,” including the restoration of “auction halls, sanitation facilities, and utility networks.”

7. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • The article acknowledges the challenges of climate change, such as “acidification and warmer seas.” The project builds climate resilience by constructing “flood-protection walls” and contributes to mitigation by promoting solar power to “reduce carbon emissions.”

8. SDG 14: Life Below Water

   • The entire article is centered on the sustainable management of marine resources. It addresses this SDG by supporting sustainable fisheries, developing a “regional action plan to address illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing,” exploring aquaculture to reduce pressure on wild stocks, and creating plans for oil spills.

9. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • The SFISH program is presented as a multi-stakeholder partnership involving the “World Bank and partners such as UNDP and the Small and Micro Enterprise Promotion Service (SMEPS).” It also supports regional collaboration with organizations like PERGSA.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 1.4: Equal rights to economic resources

   • The project provides grants and support to fishers and entrepreneurs, including over 800 women, thereby helping them gain access to economic resources and capital.

2. Target 2.3: Double the productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers

   • The program directly supports artisanal fishers, who are small-scale food producers, by rehabilitating infrastructure and providing support to “increase productivity and incomes.”

3. Target 5.a: Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources

   • By providing funding and training specifically to “over 800 female entrepreneurs,” the project actively works to give women access to economic resources and business opportunities.

4. Target 7.2: Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix

   • The support for the Bawazir factory to install a solar-power system is a direct action to increase the share of renewable energy in local industry.

5. Target 8.3: Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship

   • The SFISH program is a clear example of a policy supporting entrepreneurship and job creation, having already supported “nearly 4,000 fishers and entrepreneurs” and created/improved over 7,300 jobs.

6. Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure

   • The rehabilitation of nine landing sites with restored facilities and new “flood-protection walls to boost climate resilience” directly aligns with this target.

7. Target 14.4: Effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing

   • The article explicitly mentions the development of a “regional action plan to address illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing,” which is a direct effort to achieve this target.

8. Target 14.b: Provide access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets

   • By rehabilitating landing sites, the project helps “ease market access” for artisanal fishers, allowing them to reduce post-harvest losses and increase incomes.

9. Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships

   • The collaboration between the World Bank, UNDP, SMEPS, and regional bodies like PERGSA exemplifies the multi-stakeholder partnership model promoted by this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Number of jobs created or improved

   • The article states that the project has “contributed to the creation and improvement of over 7,300 jobs,” which is a direct quantitative indicator for SDG 8.

2. Number of beneficiaries supported

   • The text mentions that “nearly 4,000 fishers and entrepreneurs have received support,” serving as an indicator of the project’s reach.

3. Number of female entrepreneurs supported

   • The specific figure of “over 800 female entrepreneurs” receiving funding is a key indicator for measuring progress on SDG 5.

4. Number of infrastructure projects completed

   • The article specifies the “rehabilitating nine landing sites,” which is a concrete indicator of progress on SDG 9.

5. Increase in productivity/output

   • The example of the Al-Sahel Packaging Facility, where “daily output increased by 300%,” is a measurable indicator of economic improvement and efficiency gains (SDG 8).

6. Adoption of renewable energy

   • The installation of a “solar-power system” at a factory is an indicator of progress towards SDG 7. The resulting “cutting energy costs by one quarter” is a quantifiable outcome.

7. Development of regional plans and protocols

   • The creation of a “regional action plan to address illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing” and a “regional contingency plan for oil and chemical spills” are indicators of improved governance and regional cooperation for SDG 14.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Summary Table

Source: worldbank.org