virtual formal trade negotiations committee meeting                                                    at ministerial level on fisheries subsidies

thursday, 15 JUly 2021

Opening Statement by Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala                                                                                       WTO Director-General and Chairperson of the Trade Negotiations Committee

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1.1.  Excellencies, it is my distinct honour and pleasure to say how wonderful it is to be with you today. In 2001, Ministers decided to clarify and improve WTO disciplines on fisheries subsidies, taking into account the importance of this sector to developing and least developed countries. Leaders and Ministers have elaborated and reaffirmed this mandate, from Hong Kong in 2005 to Buenos Aires in 2017, making it clear that sustainability was the raison d'être of these negotiations. They made a fisheries subsidies agreement part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and set a 2020 deadline for reaching one.

1.2.  But 20 years into these talks, we are yet to conclude an agreement. Unsustainable fishing practices continue to take a toll on our oceans, encouraged by the government financial support we are seeking to discipline. Excellencies, the time for action is long overdue. In 1970, 10% of global fish stocks were overfished, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. This had risen to 27% in 2000, the year before these negotiations were launched. By 2017, 34% of global fish stocks were overfished, with most of the rest fully exploited.

1.3.  Allowing this trend to continue threatens food security and livelihoods in coastal communities, together with the marine sustainability on which both depend. With a major UN Biodiversity Conference only months away, all eyes will be on trade ministers and the WTO to see whether we can truly contribute to the sustainability of our oceans and our fish stocks, a global commons problem. Your actions today can help place us on a trajectory towards a better future.

1.4.  While textual proposals have evolved over the years, a core problem remains the same. Instead of converging on effective disciplines for all, negotiators have devoted time and ingenuity to finding ways to constrain others' support but not their own. This is what trade negotiators are trained to do – and Ministers, I congratulate you on the skills of your negotiating teams. But it is not getting us the outcome we need for our oceans.

1.5.  There are many fundamental concerns at stake in these negotiations, particularly with regard to the livelihoods of the poorest and most vulnerable fisherwomen and men. This is why, since I took office in March, I have been reaching out to Heads of State, to you, Ministers, and to Permanent Representatives to try and find a pathway to finishing these negotiations. In all of these efforts, I have been working closely with the Chair of the Negotiating Group on Rules – Ambassador Wills to whom we owe a debt of gratitude for his diligence and persistence. I am also grateful to the Secretariat team for their tireless efforts to support these negotiations as well as to all the Permanent Representatives and your negotiators in Geneva for their hard work.

1.6.  Excellencies, I believe that we are all genuinely committed, but a shift of mindset is necessary for us to bridge the final gaps that continue to separate Members.