tal breeding grounds for fish and other aquatic organisms have been severely damaged.
The impact of the tsunami has aggravated the problems already faced by fisherfolk of increasing pressures on the coastal environment from increased tourism and industrialised forms of fishing.
It is important that relief efforts channel support to fisherfolk's own existing local and regional groups and aim to support the artisanal fishing sector. This should be accompanied by a change in approach from the current marginalisation of fisherfolk communities in government and donor policies.
There is a concern in Sri Lanka, India and elsewhere, voiced by organisations of small-scale fisherfolk that relief efforts should focus on re-establishing the artisanal fisheries sector as a priority. In Sri Lanka, for example, an estimated 8000 small fishing boats, out-rigger orus, need to be replaced. The industrial fishery sector, which although an important foreign exchange earner in Sri Lanka was over-capacity and donations from the EU of decommissioned industrial fishing boats would make the situation worse.
We call on the UK government to direct its relief aid towards protecting the livelihoods, environment and markets of small-scale fisherfolk and rebuilding their boatyards, boats and fishing gear, as has been recognised as a priority by British fishing crews in their Fish and Ships initiative;
and for HMG to resist pressures to send decommissioned boats as part of the UK/EU relief effort.
It remains critical that any trade negotiations – for example on agriculture, fisheries and tourism - should not compromise the ability of communities affected by the tsunami to rebuild their livelihoods. Negotiations on Non Agricultural Market Access (NAMA), including fisheries and the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) including tourism, should not compromise the ability of fishing and other coastal communities to rebuild their livelihoods. Particular attention should be given by WTO members to the right of countries to protect affected sectors – negotiations are currently underway.
The Tsunami, Aid, Debt Relief and Conditionality
Previously fragile local markets in many of the affected countries, made even more so by the tsunami, must not be forced open by economic conditions attached to aid and any subsequent debt cancellation.
Any aid and debt relief provided should not come with conditions related to trade liberalisation. Indonesia in particular has suffered from trade liberalisation conditionality attached to previous IMF programmes and this should not be repeated. Rural services and rural poverty, and therefore vulnerability, in Sri Lanka have also been detrimentally impacted from reductions in support to farmers and increasing charges on basic services.
Infrastructure and the provision of public utilities will have been devastated by the tsunami. Priority should be given to tackling these (supply-side) constraints to facilitate the trade of products and services onto local, national and international markets, where appropriate.
In 2003, the USA collected US$ 244 million from Sri Lanka's sales of textiles and clothing and US$426 million from Indonesia's. The figures for the EU are US$77 million and US$180 million respectively (Oxfam estimates).
14 July 2006
The Tsunami Evaluation Coalition (TEC) is critical of the international rebuilding effort that often weakened local capacities yet it confirmed that most of the immediate relief was provided by the local population.
Some press reports have highlighted these failings - e.g. the Guardian "Tsunami relief swept locals aside, study finds" http://www.guardian.co.uk/tsunami/story/0,,1820956,00.html and the Daily Telegraph "Tsunami charities 'swept locals aside in rush to spend cash' " http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/07/15/waid15.xml
This confirms what many have observed on the ground. These concerns were already being voiced by local coastal communities and their organisations within a few weeks of the disaster
and yet little was done about it
In April 2005, Civil Soci