BLOG: Fisheries - SG Puna welcomes Canada support for Pacific to advance the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement

Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna has welcomed support from Canada to provide Pacific Members with a better understanding of the implications of the Fisheries Subsidies Agreement (FSA) adopted at the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in June 2022.

In the Pacific, where fisheries are among the most valuable in the world and where local populations rely heavily on the fisheries sector for food and livelihood security, the protection of fisheries resources offered by the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement, FSA, is of particular importance.

In the Pacific, where fisheries are among the most valuable in the world and where local populations rely heavily on the fisheries sector for food and livelihood security, the protection of fisheries as offered by the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement, FSA, is of particular importance.

The agreement enters into force once two thirds of the 164 WTO members have ratified it. So far, 55 WTO members have done so, including Fiji.

The support of Canada came after Pacific WTO Trade Ministers, off the back of the WTO MC12 and in special session, requested a comprehensive assessment of the implications of implementing the Fisheries Subsidies Agreement.

Funding from the Canadian Trade and Investment Facility for Development (CTIF) led to an assessment report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), presented to Pacific trade and fisheries officials last September.

“The assessment report provides an invaluable benefit, giving a better understanding of the implications associated with accepting and implementing the Agreement, and informing next steps for our Pacific WTO members on ratification decisions of the Fisheries Subsidies Agreement,” SG Puna said.

“Our Pacific WTO ministers worked long and hard at the MC12 to conclude the agreement on Fisheries subsidies, and we are keen to see that momentum continue through the “second wave” of negotiations covering the outstanding pillar of overcapacity and overfishing.”

SG Puna noted the timely support of Canada, “is allowing our delegations to ensure sustainability of our fisheries resources and a responsible path for their long-term development, for our people who depend on this resource, and help to ensure economic viability into the future.”

Pacific WTO members include Fiji, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.

The Fisheries Subsidies Agreement also reflects broader concerns which Pacific nations as small-island, large ocean states, are keen to drive home in a strategy securing the Blue Pacific future. These concerns include illegal unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, fishing of overfished stocks, and fishing in the High Seas. –ForumNews.

(The above release is a revised edit on 15/02, following initial post on 7/02.)