On July 15, 2021, within the framework of negotiations on fisheries subsidies, the World Trade Organization (WTO) held a Ministerial Conference with the participation of 104 Ministers and Heads of Delegations representing 128 WTO members. This is one of the important activities in preparation for the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12), scheduled to be held in November 2021. The Vietnamese delegation was chaired by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien with the participation of the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, Industry and Trade, Foreign Affairs, Justice and the Permanent Mission in Geneva.
Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien speaks at the Conference
Speaking at the Conference, the Members, including Vietnam, shared their common determination and made maximum efforts to narrow the gap between the Members with some basic contents, towards a multilateral agreement on eliminating some types of fishing subsidies that have negative impacts on marine resources.
The Vietnamese delegation emphasized the need to eliminate subsidies for IUU fishing activities; affirmed efforts towards a comprehensive commitment, balancing sustainable development goals associated with comprehensive and inclusive development, between obligations and implementation capacity of the Parties; protecting the legitimate interests of poor coastal fishermen, small-scale and rudimentary fishing activities. On this occasion, the Vietnamese delegation clearly stated the basic requirement, not to let any content of this document affect the rights and obligations of the Parties under other international agreements.
Vietnam Delegation at the Conference
In his speech, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien also affirmed that establishing the principle of eliminating fishing subsidies in conjunction with sustainable fisheries management is an appropriate direction in the negotiations. The head of the Vietnamese delegation suggested that Members consider providing satisfactory solutions for tropical, multi-species, multi-industry fisheries in developing and least developed countries and proposed a number of other specific issues for Members to continue discussing in the coming time.
The Parties all acknowledged the need for differential treatment for small-scale and primitive fisheries to ensure sustainable development goals; no Member intends to maintain fishing subsidies that have negative impacts on sustainable development. The Conference ended with the Members' agreement to move to the detailed negotiation phase of the draft text from September 1, 2021.
According to Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development