SSF Summit 2026

The third Small-Scale Fisheries Summit (SSF Summit 2026) is set to take place this autumn, bringing together fishing communities, governments, and civil society from around the world to advance one of the sector's most important international frameworks.

Scheduled for 4 to 6 September at FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy, the summit will take place immediately prior to the 37th Committee on Fisheries (COFI). 

The event will bring together small-scale fishers and fish workers, Indigenous Peoples, governments, civil society organisations, research institutions, non-governmental organisations, and supporting stakeholders to discuss and advance the implementation of the SSF Guidelines: the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication. 

Following on from the successful 2022 and 2024 Summits, the SSF Summit 2026 aims to provide a space for dialogue, learning and exchange, in particular among small-scale fisher representatives, as well as with decision-makers, NGOs and academia. In addition to knowledge sharing, the event aims to generate ideas for future collaborative actions at global, regional and national levels. 

The thematic pillars for this year's summit are currently being developed through an ongoing consultative process led by the IPC Working Group on Fisheries, involving organisations representing small-scale fishers at regional and global levels, along with NGOs, academia, and technical experts. 

As with previous editions, the majority of participants will be small-scale fisheries representatives, reflecting a global regional balance and the representation of women, youth and Indigenous Peoples. Government representatives are invited to attend on days two and three. 

The summit's organising committee is composed of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty (IPC) Working Group on Fisheries, SwedBio (the ad interim Secretariat of the Global Strategic Framework in support of the SSF Guidelines) and the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF). 

With small-scale fisheries supporting the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people worldwide, the summit represents a vital opportunity for the global community to take stock of progress and chart a course for the years ahead. Further information is available via the FAO's SSF Guidelines website.

For more information read the Concept note, or the Voluntary Guidelines