UNU-FTP in ICELAND

 

Report of activities in 2008

 

3 November 2008

 

Thor Asgeirsson,

programme director

 

Summary

The UNU-FTP was established in 1997 and the first six fellows arrived in August 1998 for six month post-graduate training in fisheries.  The training is applied in nature and fellows admitted to the programme must have a minimum of a first university degree or the equivalent and two years work experience.  To date 167 fellows have completed the six month training and in September 2008 21 fellows commenced their studies.  The six month training consists of one week orientation, five week introductory course, six week specialist course and a final project for the last 14 weeks.  The programme emphasizes the application of science to deal with important issues facing the fellows in their home countries. 

 

In the first year of the programme six fellows completed their training, but the number of fellows increased gradually and the annual intake has been around twenty for the past six years.   In all, fellows from around 30 countries have completed the six month training and about one-third of the fellows are women. There is a strong demand for the training and it is necessary to find the right balance between adding new countries and continue cooperation with existing partners. Regional cooperation is an important criterion in the selection of partner countries. Two recent partners are the island states in the South Pacific, where there is a strong cooperation with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, and Caribbean states, through cooperation with the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism. A special focus is now on West African countries and this year three fellows from three new West African countries are in the programme

 

The programme is now in its 11th year and has expanded considerably, especially in the last few years. 

 

In addition to the regular six month training, the UNU-FTP now contributes to the development and implementation of short courses in partner countries.  Courses completed this year include a 10  day course on Fisheries Policy and Planning held in Samoa, a 10 day follow-up course on Fisheries Statisitcs and Stock Assessment also in Samo and  a 10 day course on Profitability Assessment in Fisheries and Aquaculture Enterprisesin Cuba. This course was also conducted in Mozambique and Namibia, but adopted to conditions in these countries. Finally a 21 day course for fisheries inspectors was held twice in Kenya.  Several other short courses are in preparation to be held next year.  The short courses are usually developed and implemented in cooperation with training institutions in the partner countries and other national, regional and international organisations, such as FAO, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, ICEIDA and others.  Former fellows of the UNU-FTP often take an active part in the development and delivery of the short courses, and often training in Iceland is part of the implementation process.  During the year several course development workshops were held, both in Iceland and in partner countries.

 

The UNU-FTP has offered fellowships for post-graduate degree studies to former fellows since 2005.  So far, four have completed MSc degrees, including three this year.  Currently ten fellows receive scholarships, five for MSc studies and five for PhD studies. In the future, we expect 4-5 fellows to enter post-graduate studies in Iceland each year.

 

On October 24 and 25 the UNU-FTP celebrated its first 10 years with a conference on sustainable fisheries. Several internationally known key-note speakers addressed the conference on October 24 and three parallel sessions were held on the 25th.

 

In line with UNU recommendations, the UNU-FTP has continued its cooperation with other UNU programmes and institutions.  Discussions with UNU-PREP and the Brazilian fisheries sector on short course development continued and a new partnership with Brazilians through a UNU supported project on Regional Sustainable Development was explored. 

 

A detailed description of the programme can be found on www.unuftp.is

 

Introduction

The operation of The UNU-FTP has generally gone well. The programme has expanded and has enjoyed good support in Iceland and abroad. Currently four staff members are engaged in the operation, one of them part time. This year the programme director is on leave and Mr. Thor Asgeirsson, deputy director, is in charge.

 

The main activities of the UNU-FTP fall into three complementary categories; six months postgraduate training in Iceland, short courses, workshops and conferences, and scholarship for post-graduate degrees studies in Iceland.

 

The programme is financed through contributions from the UNU, special contributions from the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Icelandic International Development Agency, and annual contributions from the Icelandic government budget which have been increasing rapidly over the past few years. Iceland has been especially hard hit during the current global economic crisis, the value of the Icelandic krona has declined against major currencies and the national economy is contracting.  This will lead to reduced activities in 2009, but the full extent of the crisis is not yet known.

 

The strategic plan of the UNU-FTP was revised in view of the priorities expressed by the rector in a letter last year. The plan and a draft of a revised extension of the agreement between UNU and the Government of Iceland was sent to the UNU comments and action.

 

Six month training in Iceland

The training in Iceland starts at the beginning of September and ends in late February or early March. The training is organised as one week orientation, a five week introductory course, six week specialist course and a 14 week project. All 23 fellows who started in 2007 completed their studies successfully in March 2008.  An overview of the 167 fellows who completed the full programme during the first 10 years according to countries and areas of specialisation is given in Table 1.

 

In September 2008, 21 fellows from 15 countries commenced their studies, of which five are women.  A special emphasis is on West Africa is reflected in the intake of 3 fellows from 3 new countries in West Africa, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone. As the previous year we continue our focus on Small Island Development States (SIDS) with participation from Tonga and Samoa.  The areas of specialization this year are: Marine and Inland Waters Resources Assessment and Monitoring , Quality Management of Fish Handling and Processing, Fishing Technology, and Management of Fisheries Companies and Marketing.  In addition to the 21, three people from the Gambia, Namibia and Fiji have joined the programme for six week specialisation courses.

All fellows are selected through an interview process and in consultations with cooperating institutions.  This year visits were made to Sierra Leone, Cape Verde, the Gambia, Cameroon, Mozambique, Madagascar, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Namibia, South Africa, and Sri Lanka .

 

Table 1.  Fellows of the UNU/FTP in 1998-2007, according to country and area of specialisation.

 

 

Area of specialization

 

Quality Management

Fisheries Policy and Planning

Stock Assessment

Fishing Technology

Management of Fishing Companies

Sustainable Aquaculture/Env.Studies

Total

Angola

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

Argentine

 

1

 

 

 

 

1

Bangladesh

1

1

 

 

,

 

2

Brazil

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

Cambodia

 

1

 

 

 

 

1

Cape Verde

2

 

1

2

1

 

6

China

6

2

1

 

1

1

11

Cuba

5

1

3

 

3

2

14

DPR Korea

1

 

 

1

 

 

2

Estonia

1

2

2

 

 

 

5

Guyana

 

1

 

 

 

 

1

India

 

 

1

 

 

 

1

Iran

3

1

1

 

 

1

6

Jamaica

 

 

1

 

 

 

1

Kenya

3

1

2

 

1

3

10

Malawi

 

1

1

2

 

 

4

Malaysia

1

 

 

1

4

2

8

Mauritius

1

 

1

1

 

1

4

Mexico

2

 

 

2

 

1

5

Mozambique

4

2

 

 

1

1

8

Namibia

1

4

 

2

 

 

7

PICs*

 

3

1

 

 

 

4

Russia

1

 

2

1

 

1

5

South Africa

 

2

 

 

 

 

2

Sri Lanka

5

2

3

2

2

 

14

Tanzania

2

3

 

1

 

2

8

The Gambia

1

 

3

1

1

 

6

Uganda

8

3

2

 

1

1

15

Vietnam

8

1

3

1

1

 

14

Total

56

32

28

17

16

17

167

 

*Pacific Island Countries: Fiji, Tonga, Nauru and Vanuatu

 

MSc fellowships to former fellows

In 2005 the UNU-FTP started to offer MSc fellowships to former fellows who gain entry into Icelandic universities.  One started studies in 2005 and graduated at the beginning of 2007.  In August 2006 two more commenced their studies.  In 2007 the study programme of one of the fellows was changed to a PhD, two more started their MSc studies and one came to Iceland for four weeks and worked on a proposal for her PhD studies which was accepted.  In 2008 the UNU-FTP is supporting 10 people for their graduate studies in Iceland, five for their MSc studies and five for their PhD studies. Some of the scholarship recipients do part of their work in their home countries.  This year three fellows completed their MSc degrees from University of Iceland. It is expected that this part of the activities will continue to expand in the next couple of years, with 4-5 new fellows being awarded scholarships each year. Former fellows who are accepted into graduate programmes at the University of Iceland have been awarded 12-15 credits (24-30 ECST) towards their graduate studies, the equivalent of one semester’s full studies. 

 

Development and implementation of short courses in partner countries

The UNU-FTP provides financial and technical support in developing short courses in our partner countries. When possible, local experts are responsible for the delivery of the courses, and course material is translated into the local languages if needed. Wherever possible, we partner with local universities who integrate the materials and courses into their normal programme and continue to develop them there.  Examples of this are the courses in the Pacific which are developed and delivered in cooperation with the University of the South Pacific and the fisheries inspector course in Kenya which was held by Moi University. The courses are tailored to the needs of the partner countries and local experts bring in relevant case studies. Much time and effort goes into planning and development of such short courses with 2-3 meetings with the experts in both the recipient country and Iceland, where the needs and target groups are identified, goals are set and the course materials written and edited

 

Substantial progress has been made this year on the implementation of short courses which are held in partner countries.

 

This year the UNU-FTP has implemented four short courses on different subjects in five countries, and many more are in preparation. The courses are:

Fisheries Policy and Planning: This was a 10 days course held in Samoa in Jan/Feb for high level fisheries officials in the Pacific Island Countries. The course was developed in cooperation with SPC and the Commonwealth Secretariat and the outcome was used in developing a common fisheries policy in the region. Following that meeting the Pacific Island Regional Coastal Fisheries Management Policy and Strategic Action (Apia Policy) was published in August.

Fisheries Statistics and Stock Assessment: This two week course was held in Samoa in January for fisheries statistic experts and was the second course in a two course series. The first course was held in December 2006 in Fiji.  Participants had to work on projects on the collection and use of their fisheries data and present it at the second course.  During that time they received feedback and guidance from experts from the University of the South pacific and the UNU-FTP.  This course was held in cooperation with the University of South Pacific, SPC, and the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Profitability Assessment in Fisheries Enterprises-Cuba: This is a 7 day course which was developed in cooperation with the Ministry of Industrial Fisheries in Cuba, Havana University, and FAO in 2007. Initially it was to be launched in 2007 but due to technical difficulties in Cuba the course was delayed until February 2008. The course focuses on operational aspects of small fisheries companies, in this case aquaculture companies, and the participants are taught the basic economic and financial issues in a company and given a tool (model) to estimate the profitability of such operation considering various external factors. The course was to be run for the second time in September but due to the hurricane season it had to be postponed. Due to its success the MIP intends to run this course for all of its staff of 80. The basic outline of the course was also used for Mozambique and Namibia.

Profitability Assessment in Fisheries Enterprises-Mozambique in April in cooperation with Ministry of Fisheries – Department of Aquaculture and the Politechnica University

Profitability Assessment in Fisheries Enterprises-Namibia in May and again in November in cooperation with University of Namibia.

Advance course for fisheries inspectors in Kenya: This course was delivered in June in Mombasa and repeated in October in Kisumu for fisheries inspectors (Department of Fisheries) in Kenya. The course is in two parts; a four day basic course and a 2 week advanced course. The main subject is new EU regulations for inspectors. Cooperating parties were Fisheries Department, Moi University, and FAO

 

One can regard the development and delivery of the short course as small development projects, and the preparatory phase usually takes a year or more.  Courses the UNU-FTP is currently working on include:

Sampling statistic course (regional course) with Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya in cooperation with Ministry of Fisheries/DF in those countries and FAO

Stock assessment course in the Caribbean in cooperation with Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism and the University of the West Indies.

Leadership in fisheries course in the Caribbean in cooperation with CRFM

Production planning in Aquaculture in cooperation with Network for Aquaculture Centres in Asia and the Pacific (NACA)

Aquaculture development for fisheries extension officers in Uganda in cooperation with Makarere University and the department of fisheries in Uganda.

 

The short courses have so far been a success.  They have opened up an avenue for continued and expanded support to former fellows and their institutions, and also given lecturers and supervisors in Iceland the opportunity to study the conditions in the countries of our partners and work with international organisations.  This undoubtedly strengthens the programme in Iceland and makes studies here even more practical and relevant.   There is a strong interest in many of our partner countries and organisations to work towards the development and implementation of short courses in various fields of fisheries and several short courses are now in the early stages of preparation. 

 

Cooperation with other UNU institutions and programmes.

In 2006 a representative from UNU-FTP was invited to visit UNU-PREP in Brazil and last year two people came for training in the UNU-FTP in relation to the UNU-FTP/UNU-PREP cooperation. Further discussion took place on developing short courses on fisheries policy and planning, but progress has been slow.

UNU-FTP was also approached by the UNU representative at UNESCO in Paris on taking part in a project supported by the UNU and Banco Do Brazil on Regional Sustainable Development in Brazil. This cooperation had been suggested by the rector of UNU. Discussions are under way in sending an expert from Iceland to Brazil for initial assessment of the involvement of UNU-FTP.

 

 

Conferences and workshops

In October the UNU-FTP celebrated its first 10 years with a conference on sustainable fisheries. The conference was held on October 24 and 25, with internationally know key-note speakers giving talks on the 24th and with three parallel workshops on various aspects of fisheries on the 25th.   Between 90 and 100 people from various sectors of the fisheries took part in the conference.

 

Various workshops in relation to short course development were held in Iceland and our partner countries. They are:

Operational aspects of aquaculture in Nha Trang in October (5 days)

Aquaculture development in Uganda, held in Iceland in October (3 days)

Fisheries and sampling statistics for Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, held in Uganda in October (5 days)

Stock assessment and Leadership in fisheries in the Caribbean (to be held) in December in Barbados (5 days)