The Commonwealth has called for “coherent global action” to conserve fish stocks and deliver a fisheries trade deal that supports small and developing countries
The Commonwealth has called for “coherent global action” to conserve fish stocks and deliver a fisheries trade deal that supports small and developing countries at a conference co-hosted with UNCTAD in Geneva, Switzerland, this week.
The three-day Ad Hoc Expert Meeting on Trade in Sustainable Fisheries from 29 September-1 October brings together diplomats and leading policy experts from small island nations and developed economies, and will result in a roadmap of practical policy recommendations for governments.
The conference comes days after world leaders in New York agreed a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including a standalone goal to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”.
In a statement, Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Deodat Maharaj said that, if the world is to eliminate overfishing and destructive fishing practices by 2020, a key task will be to translate targets into trade rules at the World Trade Organization.
Mr Maharaj says: “The achievement of targets such as the end of overfishing and destructive fishing practices and the implementation of science-based management plans to restore fish stocks by 2020 will be extremely difficult to achieve without coherent global action.”
Mr Maharaj notes that, while there are hopes that the SDGs may “build momentum”, the “question of how to balance sustainable development and conservation remains, as does the challenge of translating the SDG goals into practical action by World Trade Organization members within the existing framework of multilateral trade rules.”
In 2010, exports of fish and related fish products reached US$136 billion worth of global exports. About 97 per cent of the world’s fishermen live in developing countries and over 90 per cent are employed in small-scale fishing, including in many Commonwealth member states. At the same time, researchers have raised serious concerns about the depletion of marine life through overfishing, with commercial fish stocks falling by 50 per cent between 1970 and 2010.
Despite 14 years of trade talks on fisheries subsidies and market access at the World Trade Organization under the Doha Development Agenda, a multilateral deal has yet to emerge. Later this year, the WTO’s Ministerial Conference in Nairobi in December, governments will again consider the negotiations.
UNCTAD Deputy Secretary-General Joakim Reiter said: “We can do much for fish conservation and trade but we have no luxury of time - time has run out. Now we need concrete and strong actions to stop the depletion of fish.”
During the Ad Hoc Expert Meeting, organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat and UNCTAD at the Palais des Nations, participants will address how to mainstream sustainable fishing practices, and discuss fisheries trade policy, negotiations and regulatory issues. A final report and recommendations will be published following the meeting.
Notes to Editors:
A study by the WWF and the Zoological Society of London published in September concluded that commercial fish stocks fell by 50 per cent between 1970 and 2010.
More than 3.2 billion people worldwide live close to coastlines which rely on the seas for their livelihoods and about 350 million jobs are linked to fisheries, port management and related activities.
Event programme and background papers
Read Mr Maharaj’s commentary in full
Join the conversation online: #FishTrade
