Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Nations, WTO, and other International Organizations in Geneva, Matthew Wilson, WTO Director-General: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and South African Ambassador Mzukisi Qobo, with members of the Stop Funding Overfishing Coalition. (Photo courtesy MFAFT)
Barbados welcomes the World Trade Organization (WTO)’s Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, which was entered into force on Monday, September 15.
This is the first WTO Trade Agreement that has clear sustainability elements, and will be key in the fight against Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
The negotiations began in 2001, and Barbados has been a central actor in the discussions, advocating for the priorities of small island developing states.
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, who delivered one of the keynote statements at the entry into force ceremony at the WTO, emphasised that the ratification of the agreement proved that the WTO can deliver.
“Today, the WTO has shown that multilateralism can and does work. Today, you have taken a decision that is transformational and generational in impact. Today you have made a commitment to our oceans, our sustainability and to our global fisheries,” Prime Minister Mottley said.
She added: “The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies is a landmark. For the first time, WTO members have delivered an agreement that recognises the complex and symbiotic relationship between trade and environmental sustainability.”
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley delivered one of the keynote statements at the entry into force ceremony at the WTO. (Photo courtesy MFAFT)
At the ceremony, WTO Director General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala accepted the ratifications of Brazil, Kenya, Mali, Oman, Vietnam and Tonga, and the United Nations’ Secretary General’s statement was delivered on his behalf by UN Trade and Development Secretary-General, Rebeca Grynspan.
Congratulations on the Agreement were received from several officials. These included President of France, Emmanuel Macron; President of Cabo Verde, José Maria Neves; President of Chile, Gabriel Boric; Prime Minister of Iceland, Kristrún Frostadóttir; Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar bin Ibrahim; Vice President of Switzerland, Guy Parmelin; Deputy Prime Minister of Fiji, Manoa Kamikamica; and UN’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, Ambassador Peter Thomson.
At a reception hosted by the Stop Funding Overfishing Coalition, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Nations, World Trade Organization, and other International Organizations in Geneva, Matthew Wilson, noted: “Today is a day of celebration. The trade and environmental community needed this. The WTO needed this. Multilateralism needed this.”
He continued: “This agreement opens the door; actually it kicks open the door on why it makes sense to ensure that trade rules support sustainability initiatives, and that good sustainability initiatives can lead to more inclusive trade.”
Barbados is a member of the Steering Committee of the WTO Fisheries Fund, which seeks to provide capacity building to developing countries to implement the Agreement. Through the Fisheries Division, Barbados is currently preparing a project for submission.
Author: Sheena Forde-Craigg
Source: https://gisbarbados.gov.bb/blog/barbados-celebrates-the-wto-agreement-on-fisheries-subsidies/
