The 30-day countdown to Comoros's WTO membership was activated when Ambassador Sultan Chouzour handed Comoros's instrument of acceptance of the Protocol of Accession to WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at a meeting of the General Council on July 22, 2024.
Comoros submitted its instrument of acceptance of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies simultaneously, bringing the total number of acceptances of the Agreement to 82.
“I am particularly proud to welcome Comoros as the newest member of the WTO. Comoros can use WTO accession as a vehicle for modernization, economic transformation and a complement to the country's regional integration agenda on the African continent,” Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said. “Comoros's membership will add a valuable voice to the multilateral trading system as it has shown commitment to the values of the WTO and has clearly demonstrated willingness to adapt to its rules and principles.”
The Director-General thanked WTO members for their support throughout the accession process and said that “they will continue to accompany Comoros in the post-accession phase.”
WTO members officially approved the WTO accession of Comoros during a special ceremony at the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi on February 26.
Comoros applied for WTO membership on February 22, 2007, and the Working Party was established in October 2007. Members of the Working Party concluded negotiations on January 9, 2024. Following approval by WTO members at MC13, Comoros's National Assembly approved the Protocol of Accession on June 10.
Twenty-two governments, including eight African countries, are still negotiating their WTO accession. Timor-Leste's WTO membership is due to become effective on August 30. The full list of WTO observers can be found here.
Adopted by consensus at the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12), held in Geneva from June 12-17, 2022, the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies sets new binding multilateral rules to curb harmful subsidies contributing to widespread depletion of fish stocks.
For this Agreement to enter into force, two-thirds of WTO members must formally accept it by depositing an instrument with the organization.
The Agreement recognizes developing economies' needs and establishes a Fund for technical assistance and capacity-building. It prohibits subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, overfished stocks fishing, and unregulated high seas fishing.
Members also agreed at MC12 to continue negotiations on outstanding issues with a view toward adopting additional provisions that would further enhance these disciplines.