WT/MIN(15)/37  
 
19 December 2015  
(15-6823)  Page: 1/2  
Ministerial Conference 
Tenth Session 
Nairobi, 15-18 December 2015  Original: English  
 
FISHERIES SUBSIDIES 
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT1 ON BEHALF OF AUSTRALIA, ARGENTINA, BRUNEI DARUSSALAM, 
CANADA, COLOMBIA, COSTA RICA, FIJI, HAITI,  ICELAND, MEXICO, NEW ZEALAND, NORWAY, 
PAKISTAN, PARAGUAY, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, PERU, SENEGAL, SOLOMON ISLANDS, 
SWITZERLAND, UNITED STATES, URUGUAY, VANUATU AND OECS ECONOMIC UNION WTO 
MEMBERS (ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA, DOMINICA, GRENADA, ST KITTS AND NEVIS,  
ST LUCIA AND ST VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES) 
The following communication, dated 19 December 2015,  is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of New Zealand.  
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Acknowledging that the future of marine capture fi sheries is an urgent resource problem facing the 
international community, and recognizing the importance of taking measures aimed at the conservation and sustainable management of fisherie s, including disciplines on fisheries subsidies;  
 
Recognizing the crucial role of fisheries in ensuring food security, employment and livelihoods in 
developing countries, in particular LDCs;   
Recognizing that fisheries subsidies contribute to economic losses in the fisheries sector and create 
serious distortions in global fish markets and serious impacts on food security and livelihoods, particularly in developing countries, and that effectively addressing fisheries subsidies will deliver 
trade, economic, development and environmental benefits;  
 Concerned that the world’s fisheries resources continue to decline and are in certain cases at risk of collapse, with nearly 30% of global stocks classified as being overfished by the FAO in 2014; yet 
the billions of dollars a year spent by governments on harmful fisheries subsidies have increased 
and continue to be a major contributing factor to this situation; and that there is also diminishing room for growth in catches through increased fishing effort, with 61% of stocks classified as being 
fully fished; 
 Considering that the WTO must play a central role in achieving effective disciplines on fisheries 
subsidies that contribute to overfishing and overca pacity, and that action is urgently needed to 
control, reduce and eventually eliminate fisherie s subsidies that contribute to overfishing and 
overcapacity;  
We accordingly have reached the following shared understandings: 
 1.  We will seek to reinvigorate work in the WTO aimed at achieving ambitious and effective 
disciplines on fisheries subsidies, which should include, but not be limited to, prohibitions on 
subsidies:  
(a) for fishing that negatively affect overfished fish stocks; and  
 
                                               
1 Adjustments may be made to take into account the outcomes of the WTO Tenth Ministerial 
Conference.  WT/MIN(15)/37 
 
- 2 - 
 
  (b) provided to vessels or operators engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated 
fishing, 
 and we commit not to provide any such subsidies.   
 
2. We reaffirm the Rio+20 commitment to refrain from introducing, extending or enhancing subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, and reaffirm the commitment in 
Target 14.6 of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals to prohibit certain forms of 
fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and refrain from introducing new such subsidies. 
 
3. We will seek to achieve additional ambiti ous and effective WTO disciplines beyond those 
described in paragraph 1 with the goal of eliminating all subsidies that contribute to overfishing 
and overcapacity and enhancing transparency. 
 4. We recognize that special and differential treatment is integral to the work on any new 
disciplines described in paragraph 3, but must be appropriate and not undermine their 
effectiveness.  Basic disciplines of the type descr ibed in paragraph 1 should apply equally to all 
Members.  
5. We will continue to seek appropriate enha nced WTO transparency and reporting to enable 
the evaluation of the trade and resource effects of fisheries subsidies programmes.  
 
Nairobi, December 2015 
 
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