Hectic talks will begin on September 1 to resolve differences over a proposed agreement on fisheries subsidies among World Trade Organization (WTO) members in Geneva, an official said.
The official said the aim is to conclude the talks soon so that member states can finalize the text on the agreement before the 12th ministerial summit to be held in Geneva from November 30.
The talks will take place in two phases – From 1st September to 12th September and again from 13th September to 8th October.
During the first phase, Ambassador Santiago Wills, President of the Negotiating Group on the Rules, will consult in a variety of formats. Under this, member countries can meet the president or discuss among themselves on major issues.
From 13 September to 8 October, there will be in-depth text-based talks on core issues on which member states have differing views.
The main objective of the second phase is to reduce the differences and improve the text of the conversation by making it more convergent.
“The aim is to finalize the fully agreed clean text before the 12th ministerial conference,” the official said.
The agreement aims to discipline subsidies with the overall objective of sustainable fishing, eliminating IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing subsidies and restricting subsidies that contribute to overfishing and over-capacity.
pre meeting
At the WTO Ministerial Meeting on Fisheries Subsidies on 15 July, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal had said that it is necessary to balance the text of negotiations for the agreement to address the concerns of developing and less developed countries (LDCs). Member states still need to cover significant grounds for this. )
India has repeatedly emphasized that it is keen to finalize an agreement on fisheries subsidies at the WTO because of irrational gains and overfishing by many countries is harming domestic fishermen and their livelihoods. Is.
Goyal had said that it is necessary that large subsidy providers take more responsibility for reducing their subsidies and fishing potential in accordance with the principles of ‘polluter payment’ and ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’.
According to him, the proposed agreement will have to meet the current and future needs as the per capita fisheries subsidies offered by most of the developing countries are very low as compared to the advanced fishing countries.
While developed nations are pushing for a ban on subsidies, India wants an equitable and balanced outcome as the country provides aid to its small and marginal fishermen who depend on the sector for livelihood.
Unlike rich countries that provide subsidies worth billions of dollars to their fishermen, India’s subsidy is only ₹770 crore. The government provides subsidies on items like fuel and boats.
The 12th Ministerial Conference will be held in Geneva, Switzerland from 30 November to 3 December 2021.
The sector provides livelihood to about 16 million Indian fishermen and fish farmers at the primary level and is almost double that along the value chain.
The WTO negotiations on fisheries subsidies were initiated in Doha in 2001, with an order to clarify and reform the existing WTO topics on fisheries subsidies.
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