WTO Secures Consensus to Commence Negotiations on Fisheries Subsidies

The Director General of the World Trade Oranisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has declared that all is set for the thorny negotiation for an agreement on fishery subsidies, which had been delayed for 20 years.

Okonjo-Iweala made the declaration recently, during a media briefing to acquaint members of the public on the outcome of the virtual ministerial conference of WTO’s member states on the text of the document that provided the platform for the long awaited negotiations on fisheries subsidies.

She said: “We got the political guidance and support to move forward on the basis of an agreed text. We got all of that today. So, it has been a successful day.

“For 20 years, there has not even been an agreed text. So, for the first time we have had a text that the ministers have agreed on. That is what we have got today. Therefore, what is new is that we are going to move into line by line negotiations on the text.

“We couldn’t have wished for a better outcome. Because it means that we can now move to the next steps.”

Okonjo-Iweala also said the ministers’ conference also showed determination to move away from the status quo towards, “a positive direction that would yield a good, balanced and quality agreement.”

She also stated that there was no objection to granting special and preferential treatment to poorer countries with regard to artisanal fisheries.

“Every minister recognised the importance of differential treatment on fisheries for developing countries, especially the least developed countries. They (ministers) are supportive of special and differential treatment with regard to artisanal fisheries.

There were of course caveats to make sure that this managed in a way that is sustainable.

“There is this emphasis on importance of technical and financial support for developing country members to develop their fisheries management expertise and capacity for the purposes of being able to implement the agreement. This will contribute to their ability to manage their fisheries sustainably,” the director