Icelandic Ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Einar Gunnarsson, who has been chairing negotiations on a deal to end harmful fisheries subsidies around the world, has signaled that he will step back from his role in the talks if delegates can not agree on a deal before the year ends.
Gunnarsson recently said at the WTO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, that he hopes a draft text aimed at limiting subsidies that lead to overcapacity and overfishing could be approved at the WTO’s General Council meeting coming up from 16 to 17 December.
One major holdout in the talks has been India, which was the key opponent of getting a deal over the finish line in July, claiming that it was holding out to protect its small-scale fishers.
“Large industrial fishing nations, which have historically contributed to the depletion of global marine resources – not just in their waters and on the high seas but also in the exclusive economic zone of other countries where they have access arrangements – should shoulder a greater share of the responsibility than states that have not contributed in the same way,” the Indian delegation said in July.
Though the impasse is one reason Gunnarsson has said he may stay back, another is that Iceland was recently elected to serve on the United Nations Human Rights Council between 2025 and 2027. Given the small size of Iceland’s team in Geneva, “it will be difficult for me to run a process of the same intensity going forward next year,” he said.
Megan Jungwiwattanaporn, an officer at The Pew Charitable Trusts who has monitored the talks closely, told SeafoodSource that passing a deal before the end of the year is imperative – with or without Gunnarsson’s potential absence in the balance.
“WTO members can still make this happen this year, and they must. [This is] necessary to move the fishing sector toward sustainability to improve the health of marine ecosystems and the communities that rely on the ocean for food and economic security,” she said.
Luke Daunivalu, Fiji’s ambassador to the WTO, agreed with Jungwiwattanaporn’s optimism.
“I remain hopeful that we will bring the negotiations to a conclusion this month. As is normal for negotiations, it always seems impossible until we get to the finish line,” he told SeafoodSource. “There is hard work ahead this week so we want to get through that and we’ll review.”
