At a special General Council meeting on 15 September, WTO members celebrated the entry into force of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, which commits members to curbing billions of dollars in annual spending on the most harmful subsidies that contribute to the depletion of marine fish stocks. Hailing the Agreement as a “landmark for global trade governance”, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala thanked WTO members for their commitment to protecting the livelihoods of fishing communities around the world. “This Agreement demonstrates how you can put trade in the service of both people and planet,” she said.

The Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies is the WTO’s first multilateral agreement with environmental sustainability at its core. It prohibits government support to illegal fishing activities and overexploitation of stocks, contributing to the protection of marine life.