Statement by Ambassador Peter Thomson, UNSG’s Special Envoy for the Ocean on SDG14.6 & WTO Negotiations

Warm greetings to everyone of you!

Among the many reasons why it is important for the WTO to conclude its fisheries subsidies negotiations by the end of this year, is the underlying logic of the Sustainable Development Agenda of the United Nations. Five years ago, all 193 Member States of the UN consensually agreed to this Agenda, and in doing so recognised the closely integrated nature of its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. One of these goals is the so-called Ocean Goal, SDG14; and one of its targets is SDG14.6 calling for the WTO, by 2020, to put in place a framework to eliminate subsidies that contribute to overfishing, to overcapacity of the global fishing fleet, and to illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing. Having been part of the international negotiations that led up to the adoption of this target, I can affirm it was motivated by broad recognition and deep concern that harmful fisheries subsidies are one of the key drivers of the ecosystem collapses that are occurring within the Ocean.

Next year we will gather at UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon to review SDG14’s implementation and there is a high expectation that we will be able in Lisbon to reflect on a successful outcome to the fisheries subsidies negotiations. Should that be so, WTO will be able demonstrate that the multilateral trading system, and the organisation that oversees it, is a positive force in the advancement of the Sustainable Development Agenda.

In these final weeks of negotiation on the ending of harmful subsidies, I urge all WTO delegations to seize the opportunity here and now, to stay true to the Sustainable Development Agenda, and do the right thing for people and planet.

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