The Global Conference on Tenure and User Rights in Fisheries 2018 looked how tenure and rights-based approaches can harmonize the concepts of responsible fisheries, social and economic development, and the fair and equitable application of user rights in capture fisheries.Marine and inland fisheries provide millions of people around the globe with food security and livelihood opportunities. Advancing knowledge on how the world’s marine and inland capture fisheries are accessed, used, and managed using various types of rights-based approaches is a crucial step towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and attaining food and nutrition security and livelihood benefits.The conference created a neutral platform for a wide variety of participants, including government officials; fishers from industrial, small-scale and indigenous/traditional communities; fisheries-related stakeholders; non-governmental organizations; civil society organizations; intergovernmental organizations; and academics from around the world.