NTS-Asia Newsletter No. 32

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Announcements

Head of RSIS Centre for NTS Studies Returns to the Centre from ASEAN Secondment

Assoc. Prof. Mely Caballero Anthony has returned in May 2012 to head the RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, fresh from her secondment to the ASEAN Secretariat as Director of External Relations.

‘Working in the ASEAN Secretariat has been a very enriching experience, where one deals directly with political and security issues and policies at the highest levels. It helps one appreciate the intricacies of regional cooperation. I am very happy to be back at RSIS and to once again lead the work of the Centre for NTS Studies,’ said Prof. Caballero-Anthony.

Programme Officer Position Available at RCSS, Colombo

The Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS) invites applications for the position of Programme Officer to be appointed with effect from 1 September 2012. A total of two positions are currently available.

The ideal candidate should meet the following requirements:

• Be of 25–35 years of age
• Possess a Bachelor or Master Degree in Social Sciences
• Possess excellent communication skills in English and computer literacy
• Be able to work independently to meet multiple deadlines
• Possess strong team spirit and interpersonal skills
• Persons who have had 2 to 5 years of working experience in a project/programme management position will have an added advantage.

The deadline for application submissions has been extended to 10 July 2012.

RSIS Centre for NTS Studies Seeks Researchers to Fill Posts

The RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies is seeking suitable persons for the positions of Research Fellow, Associate Research Fellow and Senior Analyst.

The successful candidates will be expected to contribute significantly to the Centre’s research programmes of Internal and Cross-Border Conflict; Climate Change, Environmental Security and Natural Disasters; Food Security, Energy and Human Security; as well as Health and Human Security.

Click here for more information on the Research Fellow job opening.
Click here for more information on the Associate Research Fellow and Senior Analyst job openings.

WorldFish Center and Bangladesh to Work Together on Hilsa Aquaculture

Bangladesh and the WorldFish Center are going to collaborate to explore the aquaculture potential of Hilsa fish, a fish consumed by South Asian people, Bangladeshi officials said on Sunday.

‘We have received a request for cooperation and support for working on Hilsa and its aquaculture potentials from the WorldFish Center, headquartered in Malaysia. ‘We are hopeful of collaborating with the global fish agency,’ Joint Secretary of the Bangladesh Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (MoFL) Shamsul Kibria said. He added that the collaboration will result in increased production, increased availability of the fish in the local market as well as better earnings from export of the item.

Click here to read the full article.

Fourth IIRI Director Appointed

The Ilmin International Relations Institute (IIRI) has appointed Hyun In-Taek as Director of IIRI, with effect from 1 March 2012. Director Hyun, who was also Professor of Political Science in Korea University, served as the Minister of Unification of the Republic of Korea (ROK) from February 2009 to September 2011.

Dr Kim Sung-han, former director of IIRI, has been appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the ROK.

New Ganges Basin Leader Appointed

The CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) has appointed Ms Pamela George as the new Ganges Basin Leader for its Ganges Basin Research Program.

Ms George worked as acting Basin Leader from November 2011 to January 2012. Pamela has worked in CGIAR for more than 20 years and brings a wealth of experience and skills to the position. Her main focus has been on project management, contracting and programme development. From 2003 to 2011, she was Programme Manager of the CPWF. Prior to that, she worked for a number of programmes for CGIAR, the World Bank and other international agencies.

Ms George also has a deep knowledge of Bangladesh, having worked for a number of years on the Agricultural Services Innovation and Reform Project (ASIRP) funded by the Department For International Development, UK (DFID/UK), the World Bank and the Government of Bangladesh.

IHS Hosts Migration Research Network

The Institute for Human Security (IHS) in La Trobe University is hosting the La Trobe University Migration Research Network. Its aim is to enhance the University’s research strength in this field by encouraging greater inter-disciplinary collaboration and developing opportunities for publications, research collaboration and competitive research grants. The Network brings together academics and post-graduate research students on a regular basis to discuss works in progress, encourage the establishment of new research teams and projects leading to grant applications and provide critical feedback on manuscripts in progress.

Click here to view persons listed in this network.

APCR2P Welcomes New Research Fellow

The Asia-Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (APCR2P) has welcomed a new research fellow, Dr Jocelyn Vaughn, to its team. Dr Vaughn is also a production manager for the European Journal of International Relations, a top international relations journal. She holds a BA (Joint Honours) in History and French, and an MA and PhD in International Relations from the University of Exeter, UK.

Her research interests include humanitarianism, the Protection of Civilians (POC), security studies, and the nexus between security and development. Her current research focuses on one aspect of the POC agenda – the security of humanitarian personnel. She has published in the academic journal Security Dialogue, and forthcoming publications focus on the changing humanitarian system, and the tension between the protection of personnel and the commitment to provide humanitarian relief, as well as the US position on the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) and its commitment to developing an Atrocities Prevention Board.

A full profile of Ms Vaughn is available here.

ASEAN Responses to the Responsibility to Protect: Challenges, Opportunities and Constraints
Noel M. Morada in Julia Hoffmann and Andre Nollkaemper (eds), Responsibility To Protect: From Principle to Practice, Amsterdam: Pallas Publications-Amsterdam University Press, 2012.

This chapter presents an overview of the challenges and constraints in promoting the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) norms in Southeast Asia, focusing mainly on the potential role of ASEAN in preventing mass atrocities covered by RtoP. Specifically, it examines the characteristics of states and political systems of members of ASEAN, the political dynamics of the organisation, and the extent to which its traditional norms and institutional set-up serve as the main challenges in promoting RtoP in this part of the world.

Paper Tiger or Platform for Action? South Asia and the Responsibility to Protect
Sarah Teitt
And
Operationalising Protective Intervention:  Alternative Models of Authorisation
Tim Dunne and Nicholas J. Wheeler
in Andy Knight and Frazer Egerton (eds), Routledge Handbook of the Responsibility to Protect, London: Routledge, 2012, in press.

This handbook offers a comprehensive examination of the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) norm in world politics, which aims to end mass atrocities against civilians.

The Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) is among the most significant norms in global politics. As the authoritative guide to RtoP, this edited volume gathers together the most respected and insightful voices to address key issues related to this emerging norm. The contributing authors do this over the course of three sections, namely: (1) the Concept of RtoP; (2) Developing and Operationalising RtoP and; (3) the View from Over Here.

Pillar II in Practice: Police Capacity-Building in Oceania
Charles Hawksley and Nichole Georgeou, R2P Ideas in Brief, Vol. 2, No. 7, June 2012.

At the recent Australian Agency for International Development-sponsored (AUSAID-sponsored) UN Strategy and Coordination Conference on the Regional Capacity to Protect, Prevent and Respond, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative on Responsibility to Protect (RtoP), Edward Luck, noted that while the three pillars of RtoP are becoming better known, 90 per cent of the academic work is on Pillar III (intervention), even though it is comparatively rare. In contrast much less is known about Pillar II: The Responsibility to Assist.

This briefing paper explores police capacity-building (‘police-building’) in three developing states of Oceania and its relation to RtoP. This activity forms part of a larger challenge of Security Sector Reform (SSR) occurring within an even wider paradigm of state-building. SSR is linked with the idea of development, as well as with aid delivery and the transmission of technical knowledge and expertise.

A Common Standard for Applying R2P
Sheri Rosenberg, R2P Ideas in Brief, Vol. 2, No. 6, June 2012.

This briefing paper discusses the need for a common standard against which to measure and analyse incoming information to determine whether the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) principle applies in certain situations as the RtoP’s potential to unite approaches in addressing mass atrocity situations has been hamstrung by uncertainty over whether a situation comes within the RtoP remit – from early prevention to the use of force as a last resort.

Operationalizing the Responsibility to Prevent
Jennifer M. Welsh and Serena K. Sharma, R2P Ideas in Brief, Vol.2, No. 5, May 2012.

While the principle of the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) has evolved significantly in its first decade, the rhetorical commitment to prevention has remained a key feature. Scholars and policymakers alike have consistently agreed that it is both normatively and politically desirable to act to prevent mass atrocity crimes from being committed – rather than to react after they are already underway.

Mass atrocity crimes remain high impact, yet low probability events, making it challenging to substantiate arguments and claims about what preventive strategies work best. In addition, the tendency to conflate the prevention of mass atrocities with the more general prevention of armed conflict has contributed to conceptual confusion over the appropriate scope and aim of the preventive dimension of RtoP. This briefing paper clarifies the aim of prevention, develops a strategic framework for preventing mass atrocity crimes, and assesses the so-called systemic and targeted approaches to prevention.

Regime-Induced Displacement as an R2P Challenge
Phil Orchard, R2P Ideas in Brief, Vol. 2, No. 4, February 2012.

How do we respond to states that deliberately displace their own populations? Such policies, which the briefing paper terms regime-induced displacement (RID), have become a growing problem for the international community over the past 20 years in countries as diverse as Kosovo, East Timor and Darfur. This is for the following three reasons: (1) RID can blur into ethnic cleansing and genocide; (2) it transcends a traditional divide between refugees and internally displaced persons, and; (3) the humanitarian response is problematic when people remain targets of their own government. However, both the Protection of Civilians (POC) agenda and the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) doctrine offer ways of providing clear protection to people targeted by their own governments.

Developing Social Citizenship? A Case Study of Education and Health Services in Yantian Village of Guangdong Province
Biliang Hu and Tony Saich, China & World Economy, Vol. 20, No. 3, pp. 69–87, May–June 2012.

Social policy is an indispensable element of rule and China’s current leadership has moved policy to a more inclusive system based on the notion of citizenship. The extension of social welfare provision is examined through a case study of education and healthcare in the South China village of Yantian. Yantian lies at the core of the Pearl River Delta, which has become a key link in the global reorganisation of manufacturing and production. Consequently, the village is home to some 80,000 migrant workers who complement the 3,000 registered inhabitants. A study of education and healthcare provision reveals that in terms of equity, registered villagers enjoy significant advantages in seeking welfare resources. Although living in the same village, the two groups inhabit ‘different worlds’. However, provision, while selective, has become more inclusive. The present research suggests that ‘social citizenship’ will precede ‘political citizenship’.

Annual Report on International Politics and Security
Institute of World Economics & Politics (IWEP), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Report, February 2012.

The report is the twelfth in a series which describes and analyses the international political and security situation and attempts to make corresponding predictions. The volume consists of 15 chapters which cover the areas of international organisations, terrorism, energy politics, global disasters, and climate change, among others. The final chapter is a review article on the progress in research on international relations theory.

Representation of Human Rights Violations by Human Rights NGOs
Changrock Soh and Jooyea Lea, Ilmin International Relations Institute (IIRI), Journal of International Politics, Vol. 17, No. 1, Spring 2012.

The Journal of International Politics is distributed twice a year (spring and fall) and provides critical analyses of the current state of affairs in the Asia-Pacific region and in the international community. It offers empirical analyses and case studies through theoretical and historical contemplation in the field of social sciences. This year’s spring edition comprises a total of 12 articles – nine in Korean and three in English.

The Indonesian Quarterly
Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Jakarta, January 2012.

An English-language journal of policy-oriented studies published since 1972, The Indonesian Quarterly is a medium for access to research findings, evaluations and views of scholars, statesmen and thinkers on the Indonesian situation and its problems. This latest issue includes articles related to non-traditional security such as ‘How High is the Glass Ceiling?: Measuring Gender Sensitiveness of Southeast Asia’s Trade Liberalization Initiatives’ and ‘The Socio-Economic Impacts of Global Financial Crisis’.

Mely Caballero-Anthony, Youngho Chang and Nur Azha Putra (eds), Rethinking Energy Security in Asia: A Non-Traditional View of Human Security, Vol. 2, Springer, 2012.

Traditional notions of security are premised on the primacy of state security. In relation to energy security, traditional policy thinking has focused on ensuring supply without much emphasis on socioeconomic and environmental impacts. Non-traditional security (NTS) scholars argue that threats to human security have become increasingly prominent since the end of the Cold War, and that it is thus critical to adopt a holistic and multidisciplinary approach in addressing rising energy needs. This volume represents the perspectives of scholars from across Asia, looking at diverse aspects of energy security through a non-traditional security lens. The issues covered include environmental and socioeconomic impacts, the role of the market, the role of civil society, energy sustainability and policy trends in the ASEAN region.

Mely Caballero-Anthony, Youngho Chang and Nur Azha Putra (eds), Energy and Non-Traditional Security in Asia, Vol. 1, Springer, 2012.

The impacts of rising energy prices and climate change on human collectivities, the human security issues brought to the fore by the 2011 Fukushima disaster and the Arab Spring demonstrations have underlined the need for non-traditional approaches to energy security. The non-military, and often transnational, nature of the emerging threats calls for responses that cut across state borders, disciplines and issues. This volume contributes to this need to broaden the energy security discourse by unpacking energy security using the non-traditional security (NTS) framework. The need to ensure the welfare of peoples and states is discussed within the context of the imperatives of sustainable development. The analyses of the region’s energy policies encompass issues related to the development and governance of energy markets, as well as the socioeconomic and environmental implications of efforts to achieve energy security through diversification into sources such as hydropower, biofuels, coal and nuclear energy.

The aim of this volume on Energy and Non-Traditional Security in Asia, together with its accompanying volume on Rethinking Energy Security: A Non-Traditional View of Human Security is to widen the debate on energy security beyond the conventional views of what energy security means to the security and well-being of states and societies, thus encouraging a more comprehensive approach towards energy security.

The Military Along the Security-Development Frontier: Implications for Non-traditional Security in the Philippines and Thailand
Aries A. Arugay, NTS-Asia Research Research Paper, No. 10,
RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, June 2012.

The militaries of developing countries have often gone beyond the mission of external defence, to perform unconventional roles ranging from disaster relief and economic management to law enforcement and internal security. This paper focuses on development missions carried out by the armed forces of the Philippines and Thailand in and out of conflict zones, and provides an analysis of the causes behind the re-emergence of such missions in recent years. Based on a comparison of the two countries’ experience, this paper argues that the military’s renewed involvement in development work stems from two factors: their significant role in political succession; and the increasing salience of concepts linking security and development, in particular, the notion of non-traditional security. The effectiveness of such projects could, however, be hampered by the lack of a clear, well-implemented national development framework and by systemic weaknesses in security sector governance. This paper thus argues that, in order to address the various non-traditional security threats in the two countries, security sector reform would have to be implemented and civilian oversight over security institutions improved.

Burmese Refugee Women and the Gendered Politics of Exile, Reconstruction and Human Rights
Sheena Kumari, NTS-Asia Research Research Paper, No. 9,
RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, June 2012.

This research paper examines the predicament of Burmese women refugees in India and explores the complexities of the female refugee experience. Combining theoretical perspectives with personal narratives and oral histories, this paper provides a view of the struggles faced by refugee women as both victims of circumstance and agents of regeneration. More significantly, the case of Burmese refugee women challenges traditional stereotypes and gendered binary constructions of victimhood associated with the refugee experience. Their participation in community based refugee organisations and the larger women’s rights movement has provided refugee women with new scope for action, activism, social interconnectedness, cultural nationalism, transnational linkages, and economic and political mobilisation.

Dams, Power and Security in the Mekong: A Non-traditional Security Assessment of Hydro-development in the Mekong River Basin
Christopher G. Baker, NTS-Asia Research Research Paper, No. 8,
RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, April 2012.

The rapid hydropower development in the Mekong River Basin brings with it a growing number of security challenges for state and regional policymakers. While the interrelated challenges range from local, human security issues, to regional-level concerns, all stem from the externalities brought about by hydro-development. This paper analyses the ramifications of the current ‘hydropower gold-rush’ on and around the Mekong. By specifically examining the non-traditional security concerns of food and water security and how these threaten to drive human insecurity, migration and instability within the region, it is able to challenge the dominant development and economic mindset that continues to encourage development at the cost of livelihoods. Instead of an economic hydro-boom as anticipated by many, continued dam building on the Mekong and its tributaries could result in a non-traditional security disaster characterised by severe food shortages, destruction of livelihoods and large irregular movements of people.

Responsibility to Protect in Southeast Asia: Enlarging Space for Civil Society
Pavin Chachavalpongpun, NTS Working Paper, No. 7,
RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, April 2012.

The concept of Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) is relatively new to many Southeast Asians, who have traditionally relied on the state for security and therefore faced a sense of hopelessness when such protection was lacking. While the state represented the only institution ensuring human security for the masses in the past, civil society organisations (CSOs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have today emerged as indispensable non-state actors campaigning for humanitarian interventions in situations where the state has failed in the provision of human security. This paper discusses the roles that CSOs and NGOs play in promoting the RtoP concept in Southeast Asia, exploring the nature of such roles and attempting to arrive at policy recommendations for a more efficient operationalisation and implementation of RtoP. It also suggests that although CSOs and NGOs have been successful in advocating RtoP in the region, problems that could potentially obstruct the functionality of these organisations continue to persist. The roles of CSOs and NGOs in three fundamental areas of RtoP are explored: promoting awareness and understanding of RtoP; aiding the protection process and strengthening justice; and, knitting alliances with other actors.

Would a Southeast Asian Rice Futures Market Be Feasible, and What of Food Security?
Sally Trethewie, NTS Policy Brief, No. 16,
RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, May 2012.

In 2010, it was proposed that Singapore consider hosting an international rice futures market, with cited benefits being enhanced price discovery and price stabilisation. The RSIS Centre for NTS Studies hosted an Expert Working Group Meeting in Singapore in March 2012 to discuss the feasibility of this proposal. The market conditions of the Southeast Asian rice sector are seen as an impediment to the operation of an international futures contract, although opinion is divided as to the degree that these conditions would affect a contract. Whether feasible or not, the proposal for a rice futures market raises several issues related to the region’s food security, in particular, the potential impact of futures trading on rice price volatility and the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. This NTS Policy Brief provides a summary of these issues and presents considerations for Southeast Asian policymakers.

In Search of Food Security: Addressing Opacity and Price Volatility in ASEAN’s Rice Sector 
Sally Trethewie, NTS Policy Brief, No. 15,
RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, March 2012.

The availability of rice has long been considered a key indicator of food security in Southeast Asia. However, for largely strategic reasons, there is a paucity of information in the public domain on rice availability, particularly figures on production, storage and trade. As a consequence, households, producers, mills and traders participating in the market have been doing so based on opaque information, and this has had significant impact on rice price formation. When price shocks and volatility occur, the ramifications of trading with insufficient data are magnified. This NTS Policy Brief recommends four measures that Southeast Asian governments might take to increase transparency, and thus address the continuing problem of price volatility.

The Domestic Workers Convention 2011: Implications for Migrant Domestic Workers in Southeast Asia
Pau Khan Khup Hangzo and Alistair D.B. Cook , NTS Insight,
RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, April 2012.

The recent International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention concerning Decent Work for Domestic Workers (Domestic Workers Convention 2011) offers an opportunity to finally address the longstanding issue of the protection of the human and labour rights of migrant domestic workers. This NTS Insight evaluates the responses of four Southeast Asian states – Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore – to the Convention. It highlights continuing differences between labour sending and labour receiving countries in terms of their responses, and suggests that ASEAN could play a significant role in bridging that gap and promoting the adoption of universal standards and practices.

Governance – Defusing or Fuelling Land Disputes in China?
Lina Gong, NTS Alert,
RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, June 2012.

The imbalance of power inherent in China’s land management model has been the root cause of land disputes in rural and suburban areas. These land issues increasingly threaten social stability, which in turn could have an impact on economic development and human security. The country’s land management problems are exacerbated by governance weaknesses such as policy implementation difficulties and corruption. Given that land reform in China will continue to be difficult to achieve, at least in the short term, improvements to land governance should be prioritised, as better governance could ease the rising tensions that stem from inequities related to land rights.

Back to the Future: Is Rio+20 a 1992 Redux or Is There Cause for Optimism?
J Jackson Ewing, NTS Alert,
RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, May 2012.

Rio+20, set for June 2012, offers an opportunity to review the current state of global environmental summitry. What can be expected of this latest round of global dialogue on sustainable development? The experiences of 1992 may prove telling on this question, as many impediments to paradigmatic development shifts remain entrenched. This NTS Alert notes the striking similarities between the discussions in the run-up to Rio+20 and that of the 1992 Earth Summit, and suggests that Rio+20’s greatest contributions may lie in multi-sector collaborations at national and sub-national levels facilitated by the broad-ranging participation of governmental, non-governmental as well as private sector actors.

Trafficking in Persons: Singapore’s Evolving Responses
Pau Khan Khup Hangzo and Alistair D.B. Cook, NTS Alert,
RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, April 2012.

For a long time, sending countries have been the focus of efforts to combat trafficking in persons (TIP). However, in recent years, destination countries such as Singapore have also stepped up their efforts. This is timely because improved recognition and management of the threat and challenges of TIP will do much to prevent the abuse and commercial exploitation of adults and children. This NTS Alert discusses the TIP phenomenon, focusing on Singapore and the significant new developments in Singapore’s policies on the issue. In particular, it highlights the establishment of Singapore’s Inter-Agency Taskforce on TIP and the development of its National Plan of Action.

CGIAR Research Program Collaboration on NRM Impact Assessment: Workshop Report
WorldFish Center, Workshop Report, February 2012.

Natural Resource Management (NRM) Research in the CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) faces three interlinked impact challenges. First, the CGIAR needs to pursue NRM research that achieves reductions in poverty and hunger and does so at scale; second, they need to understand how this happens more quickly and efficiently; and third, they need to measure their outcomes and impacts so that they can demonstrate these achievements in an appropriately critical manner. In order to review these challenges and consider how the CGIAR might best address them through some of the CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs), a workshop was held in Penang on 14–15 February 2012, in conjunction with a parallel meeting of the Independent Science and Partnership Council (ISPC) Stripe Review panel reviewing NRM research in the CGIAR. This report is a documentation of the workshop process and outputs. 

Design and Implementation of Fishery Modules in Integrated Household Surveys in Developing Countries
Christophe Bene, Asafu D.G. Chigere, Edward H. Allison et al., WorldFish Center, Document prepared for the Living Standards Measurement Study-Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA) Project, May 2012.

The document is organised to provide essential technical guidance on how to design statistical modules and questionnaires aimed at collecting fishery data at the household level. It includes an overview of the main technical and statistical challenges related to sampling fishery-dependent households. The document starts with an introductory section identifying the potential reasons why fisheries and in particular small-scale fisheries have not been adequately included in national statistical systems in a large number of countries. The report then proposes a succinct review of what is known (and what remains unknown) about small-scale fisheries and their contribution to the livelihoods of households in sub-Saharan Africa. It also provides readers with background information on the main policies that are important to the fishery sector, information on the data needed to analyse issues of policy relevance, and methodology used on the construction of survey questions to collect necessary data.

Mangrove Ecosystem Services and Payments for Blue Carbon in Solomon Islands
WorldFish Center, Policy Brief, 2012.

The AusAID (Australian Agency for International Development) Development Research Project ‘Poverty Alleviation, Mangrove Conservation and Climate Change: Carbon Offsets as Payment for Mangrove Ecosystem Services in Solomon Islands’ was designed to evaluate the potential for mangrove carbon revenue programmes in the Solomon Islands. The approach was to address the following three main questions: (1) How are mangrove ecosystem goods and services currently used and valued by coastal populations with a high reliance on a subsistence economy?; (2) What is the total carbon stock held in mangrove ecosystems?; and (3) Are carbon markets, whether compliance or voluntary, feasible options for Solomon Islands communities and government to alleviate poverty, reduce mangrove forest resource degradation and contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation? The project was conducted through a partnership between the WorldFish Center and the Solomon Islands Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM). The report documents the project’s main research findings and concomitant policy implications for local communities and government agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other stakeholders involved in climate change and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Plus (REDD+) activities. 

Strengthening Governance Across Scales in Aquatic Agricultural Systems
WorldFish Center, Working Paper, 2012.

Aquatic agricultural systems in developing countries face increasing competition from multiple stakeholders operating from local to national and regional scales over rights to access and use of natural resources – land, water, wetlands and fisheries – that are essential to rural livelihoods. A key implication is the need to strengthen governance to enable equitable decision-making amidst such competition, and building capacities for resilience and transformations that reduce poverty. This paper provides a simple framework to analyse the governance context for aquatic agricultural system development focused on three dimensions – stakeholder representation, distribution of power, and mechanisms of accountability. Case studies from Cambodia, Bangladesh, Malawi/Mozambique, and the Solomon Islands illustrate the application of these concepts to fisheries and aquaculture livelihoods in the broader context of inter-sectoral and cross-scale governance interactions.