The Role of the European Union in Supporting Small-Scale Fisheries in East and Southern Africa to Strengthen the Resilience of Coastal Communities

The thesis explores the European Union's aim to support East and Southern Africa's coastal communities and preserve marine biodiversity through the implementation of south-south cooperation projects, with a focus on small-scale fisheries (SSF) as the core of a socio-economic matrix to secure efficient food system resilience, create equitable livelihoods, and implement shared sustainable practices. The EU is the largest market for aquatic resources globally. The thesis analyses the double standard in the EU's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) regarding its commitment to the Sustainable Development paradigm. It aims to question how the EU can support coastal communities' food system resilience in East and Southern Africa, ensuring the equitability of their efforts and sustainability of the harvest in their targeted environments. The thesis further examines the actual capabilities of regional actors to safeguard biological resources and strengthen economic growth simultaneously, particularly in the context of climate change, and its impact on the SSF sub-sector, which is often politically marginalised and lacks representation in developing countries.