On 26 June 2024, on the occasion of the WTO’s Global Review of Aid for Trade, Hon. Kerrie D. Symmonds, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Barbados, delivered a statement on fisheries subsidies supported by 35 WTO members. The statement affirms support for the entry into force of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies as soon as possible this year as well as conclusion of the negotiations on additional provisions relating to overcapacity and overfishing in July.
Many of you here in this room would have been at the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference in February as the global trade community came extremely close to delivering on the Fisheries Subsidies mandate.
Gaps were narrowed; positions—especially that of developing countries and Small Island Developing States—were better understood in no small part because of the advocacy of the Deputy Prime Minister of Fiji; and we were on the cusp of delivering something transformational for people and planet in line with the UN Global Goals.
We left MC13 with this task unfinished. And Geneva is working hard to complete this.
This is why today, a number of countries of all sizes, geographies, and development levels have come together to deliver a simple clarion call: get this done!
I recognize the leadership of my own Ambassador Matthew Wilson, the Ambassador of New Zealand Clare Kelly and the Ambassador of Fiji Luke Daunivalu in using the platform of this Global Aid for Trade Review to amplify the message of our unfinished business. And for formulating this statement which is simple in drafting and clear in intention: we must use the next few weeks to deliver Fish 2 and operationalize Fish 1.
In non-WTO language that means we must end subsidies to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and we must discipline subsidies that lead to overfishing and overcapacity while honouring the developmental dimension of our work.
The statement is supported by the following WTO Members:
Argentina; Australia; Barbados; Belize; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; Canada; Chile; China; Colombia; Costa Rica; Dominica; Ecuador; Fiji; Gambia; Hong Kong, China; Malaysia; Mauritius; New Zealand; Nigeria; Norway; Panama; Peru; Philippines; Saint Lucia; Samoa; Seychelles; Singapore; South Africa; Suriname; Switzerland; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States; and Vanuatu.
It reads as follows:
“We, the above-named WTO Members, welcome the occasion of the WTO's Global Review of Aid for Trade, taking place between 26–28 June 2024.
We take this opportunity to affirm our support for the entry into force of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies as soon as possible this year.
We also affirm our support for conclusion of the negotiations on additional provisions relating to overcapacity and overfishing in July ahead of the European summer break, building on the significant progress made by Members at the Thirteenth Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi.
We note the critical contribution of this agreement for advancing the WTO's sustainable development objectives, in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal target 14.6.
In particular, we note the importance of a comprehensive agreement for protecting ocean health, the livelihoods of fisherfolk, and the communities they support.
We acknowledge the leadership of many WTO Members in seeking to reach a comprehensive agreement.
We encourage all Members to engage constructively in order to bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion without delay.
We also welcome the WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism and look forward to it being operational upon the entry into force of the Agreement.”
I hereby submit this statement for the most urgent consideration and action.
