IIED at the World Trade Organisation Public Forum 2026
IIED will join a panel at September’s World Trade Organisation (WTO) Public Forum to examine progress on implementing the WTO agreement to curb harmful subsidies, and discuss opportunities presented by subsidies reform.
Rue de Lausanne 154,
1211 Geneva
A huge catch of jack mackerel is hauled aboard a large trawler off the coast of Peru. Harmful fisheries subsidies can contribute to excessive fishing capacity and pressure on already stressed fish stocks (Photo: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, via Wikimedia Commons)
At its annual public forum, the WTO extends its reach beyond trade officials − inviting civil society, academia, business, government and the media to discuss the latest developments in global trade. Around 2,000 representatives attend each year.
IIED will be making the case for mobilising finance for small-scale fisheries and fishing communities. Reforming harmful fisheries subsidies must be about more than removing damaging support, it is an opportunity to redirect public finance (PDF) towards positive incentives that can strengthen livelihoods, food security and environmental stewardship, with locally-led solutions.
Our engagement in Geneva will build on efforts to amplify community voices at the preceding 3rd Small-Scale Fisheries Summit and during decision-making at the 37th session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI37), highlighting why subsidy reform must work for small-scale producers and coastal communities in the global South.
Events
Wednesday 16 September
WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies: moving forward
Time: 3.45pm-4.45pm
Venue: Room F
Hosted by: Pew Charitable Trusts, International Institute for Sustainable Development
Partners: including IIED
Speakers: Ambassador Ramsammy (Guyana, chair of fisheries subsidies negotiations); Ana Lizano (Costa Rica, chair of fisheries committee); Anna Ducros, researcher, IIED; Sivaja Karunakaran Nair, RISE UP for the Ocean; Alice Tipping (moderator), IISD
This session will examine progress on implementing the agreement to reduce public finance that contributes to overfishing, one year on from when the multilateral treaty came into force.
IIED’s Anna Ducros will join the panel to discuss the transition from harmful to beneficial subsidies. Anna will outline how governments can not only stop funding overfishing but create fiscal space for reinvestments that support marine biodiversity, livelihoods, economic development, and food and nutrition security.
Speakers will share perspectives on the future of fisheries subsidies reform, including the status of WTO negotiations, progress in implementing the current agreement, and how to ensure its benefits are felt by small-scale fishers. The discussion will also consider how governments can mitigate transition risk while conducting subsidy reform to ensure small-scale fisheries sectors are centred and supported.
The event will be of interest to civil society, NGOs, business leaders, researchers, media and intergovernmental organisations who are following implementation of the current WTO agreement and negotiations on more comprehensive rules, particularly those who are concerned about the implications for small-scale fisheries.
Related reading: Reaction: WTO fisheries subsidies deal going into effect | Harmful subsidies reduce effectiveness of fish poo as a carbon sink, analysis suggests
Contact
Anna Ducros ([email protected]), researcher (inclusive blue and green economy)
