th 7 SPC HOF meeting FAME Sustainable Funding

th 7 SPC HOF meeting FAME Sustainable Funding Requirements WP 4

Background • HOF #6 in 2009 “voiced concern on the dependence of MRD on project funding, leading to gaps in service delivery in between large projects; voiced further concern that with a dominance of project funding, work priorities may not be responsive to all members and some members may be excluded from project activities. ” • CRGA in 2009 recommended SPC should “establish a CRGA subcommittee to guide the development of a longterm financing strategy for SPC, which will include the definition of SPC core functions and minimum level of services that must be provided. ”

Current FAME Financing

Sustainable Financing Sub-Committee • 2 meetings during 2010 • Extended consultancy • Consideration of ‘core business’, ‘most essential services’ • Consultation with member countries • Technical Divisions to develop outputs based budget which identifies priorities and consult with stakeholders

Essential or long –term? Should SPC be doing it ? Does it require ongoing finance? • Economies of scale • Development and synchronisation of standards across the region • Regional leadership, strategic engagement and advocacy • Capacity building / supplementation and skills transfer • Policy analysis, research and development • Systems for data collection, analysis, reporting and information dissemination • Is it an ongoing or fixed term requirement? • Is there, or can there be an exit strategy ? • What are the impacts if the service is discontinued? • Need to be realistic

Examples of fixed-term activities • Major research projects – Tagging, Proc. Fish Coastal • Capacity development with handover strategy – Observer training • Emerging short-term needs – OIE & aquarium exports • ‘One-off’ meetings and workshops

Some ongoing needs • Oceanic Maintenance of the regional database Stock assessments Coordination of biological research Oceanographic information • Coastal Management – scientific information and advice Aquaculture policy/planning and technical Development – FADs, Bycatch mitigation Both Programmes – Coordination and Project Management - Adjustment for inflation

Current gaps in recurrent funding • Now - Operational funding (inc. information) - OFP administration - Data entry - Fisheries Oceanography • 2013/2014 - Stock assessment/national advice - Observer training standards - Coastal fisheries science/management - Mariculture development

Financial Requirements • Strategic plan calls for an annual budget (all sources) of around 12 Million CFP units at 2010 costs. • Projections of core requirements would account for about 45% of this (as opposed to around 30% funded from current budget). • Adjustment for increasing costs and a shift of about 2. 7 million units in 2014.

EDF 11 - a possible solution? • The EU is generally moving towards an approach of sector -based budget support with ACP countries; • The EU is the largest supporter of SPC fisheries projects, and has provided funding since the Lome III agreement; • Continued assistance to the sector under the regional programme seems likely as fisheries is one of the few resources important to all countries and territories eligible for EU funding, and also reflects EU member interests and priorities.

Recommendations Heads of Fisheries: • Are invited to consider the classification of services into ‘ongoing’ and ‘fixed term’ and, subject to any changes that they agree, endorse the selection of ‘ongoing’ services as those requiring recurrent or sustainable funding. • Note the need for significant increases in recurrent funding, both immediate and particularly in 2014/15. • Endorse an approach by FAME management to the European Union to explore options for sustained financing of regional fisheries programmes under the next round of EU funding (EDF 11), as part of the broader SPC initiative.