WTO taking yet another swing at passing fisheries subsidy deal

World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala | Photo courtesy of World Trade Organization
4 Min

The World Trade Organization is once again pushing to get approval of a fishery subsidies draft agreement in advance of its December general council meeting, according to sources at the organization’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

The WTO has been trying to expand on its smaller 2022 deal by adding clauses that further limit subsidies leading to overcapacity and overfishing in global fishing fleets. A draft text circulated in July allowed for carve-outs and phase-in periods for poorer countries without distant-water fleets.

The success of the fresh round of negotiations likely depends on India, which effectively derailed negotiations on two previous drafts of the deal. Both the E.U. and U.S. publicly criticized India’s stance in blocking a proposal in February by reopening issues that had been seen as already decided.

India justified its actions as a defense of its predominantly small-scale fishery sector. Dyhia Belhabib, the program manager at Ecotrust Canada and an expert in illegal fishing and fisheries governance, said India’s position was legitimate.

“India is standing up for their small-scale fishermen, and rightfully so. There should be more ...


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