IISD - International Institute for Sustainable Development

12/01/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/01/2022 22:02

Fisheries Subsidies That Contribute to Overcapacity and Overfishing: A review of the science and key decisions in the WTO negotiations

In June 2022, WTO Members reached an agreement on fisheries subsidies, but also committed to continue negotiations towards the conclusion of a more "comprehensive" agreement. Further talks will aim to establish additional rules on subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing (OCOF). As Members start preparing for further negotiations on this important topic, the objective of this workshop is to complement official discussions by providing additional detail on the history of this part of the negotiations, in order to inform delegations' deliberations about how best to proceed.

The first session will enable participants to understand key pieces of analytical work on fisheries subsidies and the contribution of those subsidies to overcapacity and overfishing under different circumstances. The second session will start with an overview of the main approaches to rules on subsidies contributing to overcapacity and overfishing that have been considered by Members, including links to the analysis presented earlier. It will then help participants to review the key steps of the negotiating process in this area leading up to MC12, providing an in-depth look at the choices made up to that point.

Agenda

2:00 - 2:05: Opening remarks

2:05 - 3:30: Session 1: Understanding existing research on the impact of fisheries subsidies

  • Rashid Sumaila - University Killam Professor, University of British Columbia

  • Jayasurya Kalakkal - Environment and Trade Consultant, UNEP

  • Claire Delpeuch - Head of Unit, Fisheries and Aquaculture, OECD

Open discussion

3:30 - 4:55: Session 2: Approaches and key decisions in the WTO negotiations on overcapacity and overfishing

Open discussion

4:55 - 5:00: Concluding remarks