The Ghana Statistical Service, in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), will conduct a survey on decent work in the marine fishing sector. The objective of the survey is to measure working conditions in marine fishing to assess any potential gaps in decent work, including fundamental principles and rights at work. The findings from the survey will inform policy and programme development for the protection of the working rights of fishers in the country. Professor Samuel Annim, the Government Statistician, speaking at the inception workshop for the National Steering Committee for the Survey, underscored the importance of quality data for sustained development. The survey design will cover working hours and stays on the vessel, contracts and wages, health and safety, living conditions, as well as recruitment and travel to the vessel. The specific scope of the survey will be part of the discussion with the National Steering Committee and the Technical Advisory Committee of the Surv ey. The steering committee would meet in July to strategize modalities to start the survey, which would probably end in December 2024. The Professor acknowledged the need for statistical targets in the country's policy engagement to ensure a consistent update of data for decision-making. Research revealed that forced labour and trafficking in persons persist in the fishing industry globally. Forced labour risks are especially pronounced in but by no means limited to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. Prof Annim said there was a need to collectively define decent work to reflect the country's understanding of the phenomenon. He said the country needed to own and conceptualise its survey and 'let ILO know that this is what best suits us' to help raise standards and ensure the quality of data. Data, he stated, should positively impact the lives of people, and he expressed concern about vulnerability in the fishing sector. In 2021, the ILO launched the 8.7 Accelerator Lab, an innovative initiat ive to accelerate progress towards Sustainable Development Goal target 8.7. Dr Francisca Francavilla, Senior Economist, ILO, said the Organisation's fundamental principles and rights at work called for the abolition of forced and child labour, non-discrimination, and occupational safety and health at work. She said the UN General Assembly in September 2015 outlined four pillars of decent work, which include employment, social protection, rights at work, and social dialogue. The ILO decent work indicators framework, she said, covered, among others, employment opportunities, adequate earnings and productive work, decent working time, and stability and security of work. Source: Ghana News Agency