five people discuss and write ideas on a paper during a training

Supply chains

Aquaculture regional strategic planning workshop

The Aquaculture regional strategic planning workshop gathered key representatives to set industry priorities and develop an action plan, organized by the ILO and the Department of Labor and Employment, with support from the Government of Japan.

The newly established Aquaculture Industry Tripartite Council (ITC) brought together 50 representatives government agencies, businesses, employer and industry associations, and workers’ groups with a mandate and interest in the aquaculture sector. The gathering took place at the Strategic Planning Workshop for Region 12 or SOCCSKSARGEN Region located in South Central Mindanao.

The region includes four provinces: North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Sarangani Province, and Sultan Kudarat, as well as five cities: Koronadal, Tacurong, General Santos, Kidapawan, and Cotabato. The region's main exports are aquaculture, tuna and other fish products, octopus, shrimps, bananas, pineapples, coconuts and crude/cochin-type coconut oil, and garments, among others.

The Department of Labor and Employment Regional XII and the ILO's Resilient, Inclusive, and Sustainable Supply Chains (RISSC) project, with support from the Government of Japan jointly organized workshop.

Constituents and stakeholders made a crucial recommendation to form the aquaculture ITC, which was convened the next day, 11 October 2024, in General Santos City.

group photo during the aquaculture strategic planning workshop — Constituents and stakeholders at the strategic planning workshop on aquaculture.

During the workshop, Aquaculture ITC members:

assessed the current situation, practices, challenges, and opportunities in their sector and its supply chain;
determined strategic priorities and objectives;
developed a Strategic Plan of Action outlining target outputs and activities for 1-3 years of implementation;
members also established the structure, representation, and coordinative mechanism of the Aquaculture ITC.

By mandate, DOLE RO XII chairs the ITC, with employers’ and workers’ representatives nominated as overall ITC vice-chairs and co-chairs of five committees focused on:

strengthening social dialogue and tripartism;
transitioning from informality to formality;
progressive implementation of general labor standards and contextualizing OSH;
establishing Responsible Business Conduct to promote social, labor, and food quality standards;
enhancing data collection and Labor Market Information on aquaculture in Region 12.