The Fisheries Department of Suriname held a Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) meeting with the Galibi indigenous community from 7-8 November 2024. The aim of the meeting was to get free, prior and informed consent from the indigenous community of Galibi for both the REBYC-III and EAF4SG projects.

Participants included the representatives from the Galibi community consisting of the two villages namely Christiaankondre and Langamankondre, the fishery cooperative of Galibi, the village counsels and village chiefs, the women groups, as well as the Fisheries Department. 

This meeting was crucial because the Galibi community is an is an indigenous one and acquiring FPIC is of utmost importance before implementing any activity in the community or with community members.

This activity falls under Component 2 of the “Strategies, technologies, and social solutions to manage bycatch in tropical Large Marine Ecosystem Fisheries (REBYC-III CLME+),” project. The US$5.3 million project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and executed by the University of the West Indies (UWI), Faculty of Food and Agriculture (FFA). It is expected to be implemented over a four-year period in Barbados, Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. The objective of the REBYC-III CLME+ project, is to manage bycatch and reduce discards in the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems (CLME+) thereby promoting sustainable and responsible fisheries that provide economic opportunities while ensuring the conservation of marine living resources, and in doing so support country implementation of the CLME+ Strategic Action Plan.