What is STREAM?
Support to Regional Aquatic Resources Management (STREAM) is a regional communications and learning initiative, which is mandated by 15 Asia-Pacific governments and designed within the five-year work program cycle of the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA). The purpose of STREAM is to strengthen, or develop, and communicate strategies, processes and practices that enable poor and vulnerable aquatic resources users in the Asia-Pacific region to pursue their livelihoods objectives . It aims to achieve this, by working with partners to ensure that: • Service providers better understand the livelihoods of poor and vulnerable aquatic resources users
• Institutions better support the livelihoods objectives of poor and vulnerable aquatic resource users
• Policy development processes better reflect the livelihoods objectives of poor and vulnerable aquatic resources users
• Communications among poor and vulnerable aquatic resources users, service providers, institutions and policy-makers are improved.
The STREAM Initiative is based around a series of partnerships, involving at the outset a coalition of founding partners (DFID, FAO and VSO) supporting NACA. STREAM is currently also supported by AusAID, APEC and DFID NRSP. It tries to adopt an inclusive approach, reaching out to link stakeholders engaged in aquatic resources management and supporting them to influence the initiative's design, implementation and management.
STREAM's work is coordinated in each country through STREAM Country Offices. These teams comprise a National Coordinator (a senior national colleague agreed with the government) and a Communications Hub Manager (a full-time national colleague supported in the first two years by STREAM), with linkages to a range of national stakeholders. These teams are provided hardware, software, information technology, networking and human resources development support. At the regional level, the teams are linked through an internet-based virtual regional network. The STREAM Regional Office (at the NACA Secretariat in Bangkok ) directs the initiative, providing a regional coordination function and supporting interactions, lesson learning and partnership activities.
Sri Lanka became a partner country of STREAM following a request made by the National Aquaculture Development Authority (NAQDA) at the 7 th Technical Advisory Committee Meeting held in Bali , Indonesia and the 15 th NACA Governing Council Meeting in Sri Lanka . A Partnership Agreement was signed between NAQDA and NACA-STREAM, in October 2004 in Dambulla. A STREAM Sri Lanka Country Office was established with NAQDA and the National Coordinating Team being comprised of the National Coordinator, the Assistant National Coordinator and the Communications Hub Manager. |
