Progress report for
Sustainable Trade in Fisheries - Assisting Member States to Implement Effective, Inclusive and Sustainable Policies
Achievement at a glance
UNCTAD, UN Environment and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) organised the Third Oceans Forum on Trade related aspects of SDG as part of the UN Trade Forum on the 9 to the 11 September 2019. The Forum was also co-sponsored by the UNECE, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the ACP Group, the International Oceans Institute (IOI).This year the Forum focused on topics such as oceans economy, climate and harmful fish subsidies. The forum discussed how oceans-based
economic diversification could enhance the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Trade can be an enabling factor in adaptation and in mainstreaming oceans-based economic activities in SIDS, where domestic markets remain small and remoteness is an intractable hindering factor.In response to the Second Oceans forum requests, UNCTAD, UN Environment and FAO have crafted an Inter-Agency Plan of Action to help countries achieve the trade-related targets of SDG 14, which seeks to advance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans.
The plan, which requires US$8.3 million to implement, underscores multidisciplinary and coordinated efforts due to the complexity of multilateral rules on the law of the sea, fisheries and trade. Improvement in global fisheries management can bring additional economic gains estimated at US$83 billion, according to the World Bank. The Inter Agency Plan of Action has also been presented in Geneva and in Vigo under various UNCTAD FAO and UN Environment events. \r\n\r\nPlastic pollution constitutes a serious threat to worlds oceans, affecting biodiversity, ecosystem services and livelihoods. The forum also examined the research, industrial and behavioural initiatives required to deal with this problem. The Chair conclusions of the Forum can be found at:
https://unctad.org/meetings/en/SessionalDocuments/ditc-ted-09112019-forum-Chairs-Conclusions-3rd-Oceans-Forum.pdf
The three agencies have also produced recent research on advancing SDG 14: Sustainable fish, seafood value chains, trade and climate. See: https://unctad.org/en/pages/PublicationWebflyer.aspx?publicationid=2576
Challenges faced in implementation
While the Inter Agency Plan of Action provide a set of outcomes and activities to accelerate the implementation of SDG 14, donor support will be key in transferring it from the drawing table to reality.Beneficiaries
This is a global commitment designed to support countries within the multilateral trade system. National and regional activities are foreseen in the Inter Agency Plan of Action.