DDG Ellard said: “The WTO’s Fisheries Subsidies Agreement will materially improve the health and sustainability of the world's fisheries by prohibiting the worst forms of subsidies. I call on WTO members to complete their domestic procedures, allowing the Agreement to take effect and benefit the lives of 260 million people around the globe who depend on fisheries for food, income and employment.”

Seventy-one WTO members have formally accepted the Agreement and a further 39 formal acceptances are needed for the Agreement to come into effect. The Agreement will enter into force upon acceptance of its legal instrument by two-thirds of the membership.

“I'm confident we will reach our goal in short order, allowing the Agreement to begin delivering its benefits for the ocean, fish stocks and the livelihood of those who depend on them. Once the Agreement enters into force, the WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism, or the Fish Fund, will be able to start providing grants to developing and LDC members that have accepted the Agreement, to support their implementation of its disciplines,” DDG Ellard added.

Ambassador Gunnarsson said: “Members came very close to adopting the Additional Provisions on Fisheries Subsidies at the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13). We continue to have a mandate to negotiate on disciplines on subsidies contributing to overcapacity and overfishing and the related special and differential treatment. Many members are calling for the Negotiating Group on Rules to capture the progress made before and at MC13 and to bring the negotiations to conclusion as soon as possible.”

Adopted by consensus at the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12), held in Geneva in June 2022, the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies sets new, binding, multilateral rules to curb harmful subsidies, which are a key factor in the widespread depletion of the world's fish stocks. In addition, the Agreement recognizes the needs of developing and least-developed countries and establishes a fund to provide technical assistance and capacity building to help them implement the obligations.

The Agreement prohibits support for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, bans support for fishing overfished stocks and ends subsidies for fishing on the unregulated high seas.

Members also agreed at MC12 to continue negotiations on outstanding issues, with a view to making recommendations for additional provisions that would further enhance the disciplines of the Agreement.

The full text of the Agreement can be accessed here. The list of members that have deposited their instruments of acceptance is available here. Information for members on how to accept the Protocol of Amendment is available here.