Why delivering a fisheries subsidies agreement matters for small islands

A statement by Ambassador Matthew Wilson of Barbados arguing for a fair and balanced fisheries subsidies agreement at the WTO's Thirteenth Ministerial Conference (MC13), emphasizing the critical role of small island developing states (SIDS) and the need for special and differential treatment to protect livelihoods and food security.

• Barbados ratified the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (known as "Fish 1") in February 2024, shortly before the WTO's Thirteenth Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi. The author notes that Barbados and other small island developing states (SIDS) and small, vulnerable economies (SVEs) have been involved in these negotiations since 2005, pushing for the inclusion of language regarding food security, poverty alleviation, and livelihoods.
• The author identifies four primary reasons why a transformational fisheries subsidies agreement ("Fish 2") is necessary at MC13: it serves as a test for multilateralism and the WTO's ability to produce shared outcomes; it enhances the WTO's sustainability credentials by targeting industrial fishing fleets and supporting ecosystem recovery via the Fish Fund; it operationalizes special and differential treatment based on needs; and it provides a developmental win by disciplining the largest subsidizers of fishing.
• The document advocates for the "de minimis" proposal, championed by the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) group of states in 2005–06. This mechanism is described as a fair way to differentiate between large economies capable of providing subsidies that cause overcapacity and overfishing, and small vulnerable economies that rely on fishing for nutrition and employment.
• The author emphasizes that flexibility to protect artisanal and small-scale fisheries is essential for small islands like Barbados, as they lack the capacity to provide alternative supports such as unemployment benefits, seasonal pay, or skills retraining. Such flexibility is framed as a necessity to prevent coastal communities from falling into poverty.

APA

Wilson, M. (2024). Why delivering a fisheries subsidies agreement matters for small islands. Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs. https://tessforum.org/latest/why-delivering-a-fisheries-subsidies-agreement-matters-for-small-islands

Chicago

Wilson, Matthew. Why delivering a fisheries subsidies agreement matters for small islands. Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs, 2024. https://tessforum.org/latest/why-delivering-a-fisheries-subsidies-agreement-matters-for-small-islands.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Wilson |first1=Matthew |title=Why delivering a fisheries subsidies agreement matters for small islands |publisher=Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs |date=14 February 2024 |url=https://tessforum.org/latest/why-delivering-a-fisheries-subsidies-agreement-matters-for-small-islands |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{wilson2024why, author = {Wilson, Matthew}, title = {{Why delivering a fisheries subsidies agreement matters for small islands}}, publisher = {Forum on Trade, Environment, \& the SDGs}, year = {2024}, month = feb, url = {https://tessforum.org/latest/why-delivering-a-fisheries-subsidies-agreement-matters-for-small-islands}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }