Ambassador Santiago Wills of Colombia, the Chair of the Negotiating Group on Rules which is responsible for the fisheries subsidies negotiations, will consult WTO members on 16-17 April on how best to continue work amid disruptions caused by the COVID-19 crisis. In a video message, the chair thanked members for having kept up the momentum so far and called on their continued support for the fish and the oceans.
With all WTO meetings having been suspended last month, members in the Negotiating Group on Rules will soon conclude a written exchange of views on the proposals of India and the Least-Developed Countries (LDC) Group, the chair said. He would like to hear members’ views on how to continue making progress in a transparent and inclusive manner, he said.
Based on the mandate fixed under the Ministerial Decision from the WTO’s 11th Ministerial Conference, and the UN Sustainable Development Goal Target 14.6, negotiators are expected to secure an agreement in 2020 on disciplines eliminating subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and prohibiting certain forms of fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, with special and differential treatment for developing and least-developed countries.
2020, World Trade Organization