A Global Deal to Tackle Harmful Fisheries Subsidies: A look behind the scenes

This case study examines the process leading to the June 2022 World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, the first multilateral trade deal centered on environmental sustainability. It details the complementary roles of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), which provided impartial technical and legal advice, and The Pew Charitable Trusts, which led advocacy and the 'Stop Funding Overfishing' campaign to create external pressure on WTO members.

• On June 17, 2022, the 164 members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) reached a historic agreement to curb harmful fisheries subsidies, marking the first multilateral trade deal with environmental sustainability at its core.
• The final agreement includes legally binding frameworks to limit subsidies for fishing of overfished stocks, subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and subsidies for vessels fishing on the unregulated high seas.
• To secure the deal, members accepted a trade-off regarding Article 5: the prohibition on subsidies contributing to overcapacity and overfishing was removed for the time being, but the entire agreement will expire if a more comprehensive deal is not reached within 4 years of its entry into force.
• The 'Stop Funding Overfishing' campaign, supported by IISD and Pew, built a coalition of 182 signatories, including the World Wildlife Fund, Oceana, and Friends of Ocean Action, to signal public support to WTO negotiators.
• Between 2019 and 2022, the IISD fisheries team conducted over 100 activities to support the negotiations, including 14 reports and 67 events.
• Singapore was the second WTO member to ratify the treaty and the first coastal state to do so.

APA

Resich,, P. (2022). A Global Deal to Tackle Harmful Fisheries Subsidies: A look behind the scenes. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/success-story/fisheries-subsidies-deal-behind-scenes

Chicago

Resich,, Paulina. A Global Deal to Tackle Harmful Fisheries Subsidies: A look behind the scenes. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2022. https://www.iisd.org/articles/success-story/fisheries-subsidies-deal-behind-scenes.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Resich, |first1=Paulina |title=A Global Deal to Tackle Harmful Fisheries Subsidies: A look behind the scenes |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=6 December 2022 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/success-story/fisheries-subsidies-deal-behind-scenes |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{resich2022global, author = {Resich,, Paulina}, title = {{A Global Deal to Tackle Harmful Fisheries Subsidies: A look behind the scenes}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2022}, month = dec, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/success-story/fisheries-subsidies-deal-behind-scenes}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }