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This statement from the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs urges WTO ministers attending the Fourteenth Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Yaoundé, Cameroon, to prioritize sustainable development and environmental action within the WTO reform agenda. The document argues that the WTO must move beyond geopolitical tensions to address climate change, nature loss, and pollution, leveraging existing member-led initiatives and the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies to foster international cooperation.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development analyzes the critical state of World Trade Organization (WTO) fisheries subsidies negotiations ahead of the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14). It highlights the need to move beyond the 2022 Agreement (Fish 1) to establish additional disciplines (Fish 2) targeting overcapacity and overfishing before a sunset clause triggers the termination of the original agreement in September 2029.

This research paper by Tristan Irschlinger provides a state-of-play analysis as of March 2025 regarding the World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations on fisheries subsidies. It evaluates the impact of the 2022 Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (Fish 1) and the ongoing efforts to establish broader rules (Fish 2) to address the root causes of overcapacity and overfishing.

This research paper by Tristan Irschlinger provides an update as of March 2025 on the World Trade Organization's (WTO) efforts to regulate fishing subsidies. It details the existing 2022 Agreement (Phase 1) and the ongoing negotiations for additional, broader rules (Phase 2) aimed at addressing overcapacity and overfishing to promote marine sustainability.

A statement delivered by Hon. Kerrie D. Symmonds, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Barbados, on 26 June 2024, calling for the immediate entry into force of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies and the conclusion of negotiations on overcapacity and overfishing.

This document is an extract from a detailed analysis by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) regarding a draft text (TN/RL/W/278) on fisheries subsidies within the World Trade Organization (WTO). It evaluates the potential of these proposed rules to promote sustainable development by preventing subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, while balancing the diverse interests of member nations.

This policy brief by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) provides a comprehensive overview of the institutional entry points and governance processes within the World Trade Organization (WTO) where trade and environmental policies intersect. It details the roles of various WTO bodies, including the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE), the dispute settlement mechanism, and the Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM), while highlighting recent member-led initiatives on plastic pollution, fossil fuel subsidies, and environmental sustainability.

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.

This research paper analyzes a draft World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement aimed at curbing fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing. It details the proposed prohibitions on subsidies for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, overfished stocks, and overcapacity, while examining the balance between strict disciplines and special and differential treatment for developing countries.

The document outlines the negotiations and eventual adoption of a WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies aimed at curbing subsidies that contribute to overfishing, overcapacity, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. It highlights the convergence of WTO members during the lead-up to the June 2022 MC12 conference and notes Singapore's role as the first coastal state to ratify the legally binding framework.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines the historical and current tensions between international trade rules and environmental protection. It highlights the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE), arguing that the removal of harmful subsidies in fossil fuels, fisheries, and agriculture is essential for achieving sustainable development and meeting climate goals.

This policy brief discusses the management of fishing capacity within the framework of World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations to prohibit subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing.

This policy brief examines how technical assistance and capacity building (TACB) can support developing countries and least-developed countries (LDCs) in implementing new, internationally binding WTO rules on fisheries subsidies, noting a historical lack of donor support for subsidy assessment and reform.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the role of technical assistance and capacity building (TACB) in implementing a potential World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement on fisheries subsidies. It identifies critical gaps between the needs of developing countries for compliance—such as subsidy inventory and IUU monitoring—and the actual distribution of official development assistance (ODA), which heavily favors general fisheries development and management over specific subsidy reform.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides practical guidance for World Trade Organization (WTO) members on implementing potential agreements to prohibit harmful fisheries subsidies. It outlines general benchmarking and planning steps, specific implementation strategies for three proposed WTO disciplines—IUU fishing, overfished stocks, and overfishing/overcapacity—and discusses the necessary role of technical assistance for developing countries.

This research paper by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes various proposed regulatory approaches to prohibit fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing within the World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations. It specifically examines how to balance environmental sustainability with the development priorities of developing and least-developed countries, including food security and poverty reduction.

This case study by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines how potential World Trade Organization (WTO) rules to discipline fisheries subsidies could impact the southern longline tuna fishery in the Western and Central Pacific, specifically regarding economic overfishing and the role of distant water fishing nations.

This case study by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines the potential impact of World Trade Organization (WTO) fisheries subsidy rules on shrimp fisheries in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, focusing on overcapacity, overfishing, and the role of fuel subsidies.

This case study examines how potential World Trade Organization (WTO) rules on fisheries subsidies could affect the sardinella fishery in the waters of The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, and Senegal, where overfishing and excessive capacity threaten food security and livelihoods.

This report examines the potential impacts of World Trade Organization (WTO) rules on fishing subsidies, specifically focusing on shrimp fisheries in the Tropical Eastern Pacific. It analyzes how prohibitions on subsidies for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, overcapacity, and overexploited populations could affect industrial and artisanal fleets in Latin American countries.