CACFish Workshop on Fisheries and Aquaculture: Review through a gender lens

The Central Asian and Caucasus Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Commission (CACFish) is a regional fisheries management body of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) that promotes the sustainable development of fisheries and aquaculture in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Over the past few years, and as a component of its biennial work programmes, the Commission has undertaken a number of studies that focus on gender issues in the aquaculture and fisheries sectors. 

Women play a crucial role throughout the fisheries and aquaculture value chains, yet they are often engaged in poorly paid or unpaid work and occupy unofficial, unstable, and frequently invisible roles within the sector. These challenges are largely rooted in deeply ingrained social norms that limit women’s recognition, economic empowerment, and participation in decision-making processes. Failure to address gender inequalities and the concomitant asymmetrical power relationships between women and men often leads to women’s invisibility as actors for economic development, as key transmitters of knowledge, and as agents for change.

To support policymakers and practitioners to apply gender-transformative approaches across their projects, programmes, policy dialogues, and operational frameworks, CACFish, in collaboration with FAO, is organizing a workshop on 26 July 2025 in Dushanbe. The event provides a valuable opportunity to take stock of, and critically reflect on the lessons learnt from existing interventions aimed at advancing gender transformation within the fisheries and aquaculture sectors. The ultimate goal of the workshop is to promote gender equality and strengthen the role of women in improving food security and nutrition through more inclusive and equitable practices.

The workshop will draw extensively on the findings and conclusions of an FAO regional gender study in the aquaculture and fisheries sectors that was conducted between 2022 and 2024, and across CACFish member states, including Tajikistan.