The Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) has welcomed the final decision by Trade Ministers meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to continue to discuss prohibitions on fisheries subsidies following the conclusion of the meeting.
Talks on interim disciplines for subsidies for illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, as well as overfishing, collapsed in the final hours of negotiations.
This demonstrated the divide between the push by developed powerful fishing nations for strict and ambitious interim prohibitions on subsidies while many developing countries would only accept the most flexible development outcomes.
“The collapse of negotiations is a reflection that developing countries have stood firm on their right to development by refusing to agree upon a ministerial decision on fisheries subsidies that aimed to send the negotiations down an anti-development path,” stated PANG's Trade Justice Campaigner, Adam Wolfenden.
An ambitious Ministerial decision had been drafted but there was a failure by members to agree on the final wording. There were multiple proposals for a Ministerial decision on subsidies to Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, as well as overfishing and the commitments on reporting of subsidies to the WTO.
“The developmental and economic policy space of developing countries must be maintained whilst those nations that have contributed most to the problem of IUU and overfishing must agree to eliminate harmful subsidies.
“Since policy space for development was not protected, it is better that members agreed to continue negotiations on this issue,” continued Wolfenden.
“The sustainability of fish stocks in the Pacific is an issue that everyone is concerned about but what we are seeing at the WTO is that these concerns are being used as a guise for rich industrial fishing nations to kick away the ladder of developing countries to develop their own fishing industries in the future to maximise the benefits of their natural resources.”
Wolfenden said the failure to produce a comprehensive Ministerial Decision has seen fingers pointed at India for derailing the negotiations. Yet the Argentina Trade Ministerial has been marred with controversy, including the banning of 60 accredited NGOs by Argentina to the WTO, and the use of the controversial and undemocratic “green rooms” process in an attempt to conclude text on fisheries subsidies.
“The draft Ministerial Decision reflected the wide gap that had previously existed in negotiations, a gap that has been upheld by the ongoing refusal by countries like New Zealand as well as the European Union to meaningfully uphold the ‘Special and Differential Treatment’ proposals that support developing countries. To now only blame India allows these rich nations to be held unaccountable for their denial of policy space to develop,” he added.
“Ministers have upheld the decision of leaders to meet SDG 14.6 on fish subsidies by ensuring that all parts of that outcome are maintained, particularly the need for effective special and differential treatment which essentially means that developing countries have maintained their right to develop,” concluded Wolfenden.
(Picture: OpenGovAsia)