Meet the Small-Scale Fisheries team working in FAO headquarters
From left to right: Manoela Militão de Siqueira, Mele Tauati, Lena Westlund, Ruben Sanchéz Daroqui, Nicole Franz, Christopher Allevi, Ana Suarez and Claudia Aguado Castillo.
In 2024, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the endorsement of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines). At FAO headquarters, the Small-Scale fisheries team develops activities and projects related to the implementation of the SSF Guidelines. The team comprises individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures, each contributing unique expertise.
The team is led by Ms Nicole Franz, Fishery Officer, who has a background in economics and has been working in FAO (with some interruptions to work at IFAD and the OECD) since 2004. She believes that the SSF Guidelines are an important instrument to support small-scale fisheries communities all over the world, especially because they bring together sustainable fisheries and social development: “The SSF Guidelines are a tool to guide dialogue, policies, legal frameworks and actions concerning small-scale fisheries, as well as other related matters affecting the lives and livelihoods of fishing communities”.
In 2025, Ms Franz will take a one year leave from FAO. During her absence, Ms Lena Westlund will be leading the team’s activities. Ms Westlund started in FAO fisheries, with some breaks for other work in between, in 1991. She was an important figure in the drafting and endorsement of the SSF Guidelines and has been working towards their implementation ever since. She will be supported by Ms Mele Ikatonga Tauati, Fishery Officer, who joined FAO headquarters in 2023. Despite her recent arrival, Ms. Tauati has worked with fisheries communities in the Pacific since 2006, including at FAO’s Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands since 2017. At divisional level, Mr Carlos Fuentevilla, Fishery Officer, who was also an active participant of the creation and endorsement of the SSF Guidelines, helps link the work developed by this team with the FAO’s Blue Transformation roadmap.
Mr Ruben Sanchéz Daroqui is a small-scale fisheries consultant who supports the global SSF projects related to the implementation of the SSF Guidelines, particularly the development and implementation of the National/Regional Plans of Action for Small-Scale Fisheries. In alignment with his work, Ms Ana Suarez, Human Rights Specialist at FAO, who has a legal background, works on the activities related to policies and legislations, especially supporting countries to develop SSF-Lex country profiles.
The communications and outreach activities are managed by Ms Manoela Militão de Siqueira. She works closely with colleagues, countries and partners to create meaningful and relevant information products that support the implementation and uptake of the SSF Guidelines. The operational aspect of the work is in the hands of Mr Christopher Allevi, the last one to join the team, but already fully immersed, he helps colleagues and partners to keep track of budgetary and operations related to the activities.
Two people complete the team, last, but no less important, Ms Romina Toscano and Ms Claudia Aguado Castillo help us all to navigate the FAO systems providing administrative support to all the activities we develop, not only in HQ, as well as with countries and regions.
Together, this diverse and dedicated team is looking forward to continuing the implementation of the SSF Guidelines for the next 10 years and more with all of you!
Learn more
Download the 2025 SSF Guidelines calendar here