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Barbados’ unusual contribution to the WTO fisheries subsidies negotiations

The main point of its “room document” is a video on the Barbadian matriarchy of fishing

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Updates on the negotiations
and all stories tagged “fisheries subsidies”

By Peter Ungphakorn
POSTED FEBRUARY 12, 2024 | UPDATED FEBRUARY 12, 2024

A contribution from Barbados to the World Trade Organization’s negotiations on fisheries subsidies has a title and content that are both unusual: “The Barbadian matriarchy of fishing” featuring a YouTube video.

“This video will show all WTO members why fisheries matters for Barbadian livelihoods, food security, and women’s economic empowerment — and why the special and differential treatment we are asking for also matters,” Barbados ambassador Matthew Wilson told fellow-delegates.

“It will help you understand why Barbados takes the positions we do in this room and what we mean when we say small scale and artisanal. You will see why we say unduly restricting our fisheries sector potential is counterproductive and that we need to address unsustainable practices by distant water fishers that have risked the health of our yields.”

Explainer: The 18 WTO plurilaterals and ‘joint-statement initiatives’

Brand new, decades old, or in between? Exclusive or applying to all members? Proper negotiations or just talk? Which is which, and what are the subjects?

By Peter Ungphakorn
POSTED JANUARY 3, 2022 | UPDATED APRIL 13, 2024

As World Trade Organization (WTO) members struggle to reach consensus on numerous issues, many see talks among “the willing” as the way to modernise the organisation and in many cases to update its trade rules. But the approach is controversial.

These talks and resulting decisions among only some WTO members are called “plurilateral” to distinguish them from “multilateral” activities and agreements among the WTO’s whole membership.

Dire WTO General Council meeting shows scale of Okonjo-Iweala’s task

If this was an indication of members’ willingness to listen to the new director-general they had picked, then she must be disappointed

By Peter Ungphakorn
POSTED MARCH 5, 2021 | UPDATED JULY 25, 2021

‘It cannot be business as usual,” she had said when she was appointed. “It cannot be business as usual,” the ambassadors had echoed as they congratulated her. And at the next opportunity they did their utmost to demonstrate the exact opposite.

If Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala needed evidence of how much had to change at the World Trade Organization (WTO), her first few days as director-general offered her plenty to think about. Some who attended the WTO General Council’s first regular meeting of the year said it was one of the worst they could remember.