The EU is supporting Indonesia’s push for safer, fairer work in its fishing industry and seafood processing sector under the next phase of the Ship to Shore Rights South-East Asia initiative.
This initiative launched its latest phase on 25 June 2025, with the aim of combatting forced labour and protect the rights of fishers, including vulnerable migrant fishers, across Indonesia’s blue economy.
“The NPAC Meeting is very important to guide the implementation of the Programme for the next four years,” said Estiaety Haryani of Indonesia’s Ministry of Manpower.
“It will help all stakeholders to support each other in implementing the work plan, for better protection of Indonesian workers in fishing and the seafood supply chain.”
EU backed
The EU-funded programme, implemented by the International Labour Organization (ILO) alongside the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), brings together government, employers and civil society to advance decent work.
It will focus on four key areas: Stronger legal protections, ethical recruitment, regional cooperation and worker empowerment.
Saiti Gusrini from the EU Delegation noted the programme’s impact: “The progress made in the previous phase has brought tangible benefits to Indonesian fishers, seafood processing workers, and migrant fishers employed abroad.”
The initiative supports safer migration and aims to eliminate exploitation and forced labour across the fishing and seafood sectors. Technical assistance un isder the intiative tailored to local needs, addressing challenges in recruitment, placement and worker reintegration.
Indonesia’s commitment to the initiative marks a major step forward in building a sustainable, rights-based fishing industry that protects the people who power it.
