Malawi 100th WTO member to formally accept Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies

DG Okonjo-Iweala said: "The depletion of marine fish stocks globally requires our urgent collective action. I thank Malawi for joining this crucial collective effort. With Malawi's instrument of acceptance, we have reached a milestone for putting into motion a multilateral deal that will support more sustainable use of our oceans and fisheries for current and future generations. With this 100th instrument, we now need just 11 more to add the Agreement to the WTO rulebook!"

Ambassador Bwanali-Mussa said: "Malawi is committed to the multilateral trading system. Although we are not a coastal country, we fully support WTO members' collective efforts to protect the environment, conserve global fish stocks and combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. These efforts are integral to the protection of the livelihoods of vulnerable populations who rely on aquatic ecosystems for food security, employment, health and socio-economic resilience."

For the Agreement to enter into force, formal acceptances from two-thirds of WTO members are required – representing 111 members. The list of the 100 WTO members which have deposited their instruments of acceptance with the WTO is available here.

At the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) held in Geneva in June 2022, ministers adopted by consensus the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, setting new, binding, multilateral rules to curb harmful fisheries subsidies. The Agreement prohibits subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, for fishing overfished stocks, and for fishing on the unregulated high seas. Ministers also recognized the needs of developing economies and least-developed countries by establishing a fund to provide technical assistance and capacity-building to help governments which have formally accepted the Agreement implement the new obligations.

WTO members also agreed at MC12 to continue negotiating on remaining fisheries subsidies issues. The objective is to find consensus on additional provisions to further strengthen the disciplines on fisheries subsidies.

Information for members on how to accept the Protocol of Amendment is available here.