WTO - Fish Week Agenda Set

Ambassador Einar Gunnarsson of Iceland, Chair of the Doha fisheries subsidies negotiations, intends to concentrate the fourth World Trade Organization's "Fish Week" on in-depth exploration of concrete measures to counter subsidies contributing to overcapacity and overfishing. The week-long meeting, starting Monday, aims to pinpoint elements and approaches for textual negotiations scheduled for fall.

In an email to the delegation heads on June 30, Gunnarsson acknowledged the productive dialogue during the third "Fish Week" and emphasized the importance of using the forthcoming sessions to identify convergence points within the various proposals.

The Ambassador proposed a detailed examination of ideas and existing documents, including the controversial W/20 and W/5 texts. The previous chair, Ambassador Santiago Wills of Colombia, produced these texts, which have faced criticism from several developing countries, including India and some Africa, Caribbean and Pacific group members, for their alleged biased treatment of issues and significant exemptions for large subsidizers.

Gunnarsson revealed that six new proposals containing a range of ideas have been submitted. He has prepared a table summarizing the main elements and approaches within these proposals and the previous texts, encouraging delegates to identify shared themes and potential overlaps.

The proposed work structure for the week includes initial open-ended meetings, followed by small group sessions to foster in-depth discussions on concrete elements and approaches. Delegates will also have an opportunity to respond to the sixth proposal, submitted by Fiji, which was not previously open to comment or review.

The six proposals address issues from industrial fishing subsidies to measures maintaining sustainable fish stocks. Based on these proposals, Gunnarsson has proposed a "menu" of issues for next week's discussions, ranging from the prohibition of subsidies to special treatment for small-scale or artisanal fishing.

Despite the progress, the Protocol on the partial Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies will not come into force until two-thirds of the WTO’s 164 members formally accept it. To date, countries including Switzerland, Singapore, Seychelles, the United States, Canada, Iceland, the United Arab Emirates, the European Union, Nigeria, Belize, and China have deposited their instruments of acceptance.

As global fish stocks continue to deplete, the hope is that the fourth "Fish Week" will yield substantial progress in curbing the harmful effects of overfishing, thereby supporting global sustainability initiatives.