Rationale

More than 22 million people are employed in the aquaculture industry globally6262FAO SOFIA 2024. The industry is a major contributor to people’s livelihoods and communities. As with any industry, if not carried out with proper care and attention, seafood farming can have negative impacts on people’s wellbeing such as through poor working conditions, social exclusion and land grabbing.

This principle addresses key topics related to the rights of employees, Indigenous people and communities, aiming to protect the human rights of those who work in aquaculture and live in surrounding communities, while acting as a catalyst for broader industry-wide change.

The criteria in this principle draw upon International Labour Organisation Conventions and Recommendations, and are aligned with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)6363https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights, the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work6464https://www.ilo.org/ilo-declaration-fundamental-principles-and-rights-work and the United Nations Guiding Principles (UNGPs) on Business and Human Rights6565https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/publications/guidingprinciplesbusinesshr_en.pdf. Alignment with these important international instruments places the respect of human rights and social responsibility at the forefront of ASC’s certification system.

Details of applicable ILO Conventions and other resources can be found in Appendix 1.