The World Trade Organization (WTO) Secretariat held an information session on May 22, 2025, to discuss the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies and the associated Fisheries Funding Mechanism. Deputy Director-General Angela Ellard opened the session by emphasizing the importance of member collaboration to facilitate the Agreement's entry into force and support its implementation. She stated, “The Agreement represents a significant achievement in our global efforts to promote the economic and environmental sustainability of ocean resources.”
The Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies was adopted by consensus at the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference in Geneva in June 2022. It establishes binding multilateral rules prohibiting subsidies for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, fishing overfished stocks, and fishing on unregulated high seas.
Ellard welcomed recent acceptances of the Agreement by Georgia and Lesotho, noting that this indicates growing commitment among members. Barbados' WTO Ambassador Matthew Wilson highlighted the vulnerability of African, Caribbean, and Pacific member states to IUU fishing due to limited capacity for policing their waters. Malaysia's WTO Ambassador Syahril Syazli Ghazali noted that the Agreement supports national efforts against harmful practices while balancing economic, social, and environmental interests.
Sierra Leone's WTO Ambassador Lansana Gberie discussed how the Agreement supports regional efforts in West Africa but stressed that more African countries need to join. He remarked that IUU fishing is a transparency challenge requiring a global response.
Norway's Special Trade Policy Representative Benedicte Fleischer emphasized Norway's readiness to implement the Agreement due to its fisheries management measures focusing on control and enforcement.
Members acknowledged progress in ratifications but urged further action for the Agreement to enter into force. The threshold is two-thirds of WTO members' formal acceptances; currently, 99 instruments have been received out of 111 required.
The Fisheries Funding Mechanism was also discussed during an information session on May 23. This mechanism aims to provide technical assistance and capacity-building for developing economies and least-developed countries implementing new obligations under the Agreement.
Commerijn Plomp from the Netherlands noted that once operational, this Fund will encourage more ratifications and implementation of disciplines. Olga Lukashevich from Peru stressed that it is designed as a support vehicle tailored to each member’s needs.
Ellard concluded by highlighting that with 99 members having deposited their instruments, they are close to launching a Call for Proposals when reaching 101 deposits.