The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat has welcomed the entry into force of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies on 15 September 2025. The agreement entered into force following ratifications from Tonga, Brazil, Kenya and Vietnam — meeting the two-thirds requirement needed to bring it into effect.
The Fisheries Subsidies Agreement prohibits harmful fishing subsidies that support illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the fishing of overfished stocks, and fishing in unregulated high seas where no competent management authorities exist.
The agreement was adopted at the WTO’s Twelfth Ministerial Conference (MC12) in Geneva in 2022. MC12 also agreed that negotiations would continue towards a comprehensive agreement that includes disciplines on overcapacity and overfishing, with appropriate and effective special and differential treatment for developing and least-developed countries.
Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General Mr. Baron Waqa congratulated the WTO, and in particular Pacific WTO members, on this significant achievement.
“This agreement will contribute to the sustainable management of fish stocks in the Pacific region by reducing harmful subsidies to IUU fishing and overfished stocks. While this is an important first step, I urge WTO members to continue work towards completing the additional provisions on subsidies to overcapacity and overfishing,” Waqa said.
“I wish to acknowledge the critical support and assistance provided by Ambassador Mere Falemaka and her team in our Pacific Islands Forum Permanent Delegation in Geneva, as well as our CROP agencies, to all our Pacific WTO members during the negotiations of the agreement," he added.
The Fisheries Subsidies Agreement contributes to the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent under the thematic pillar on Oceans and Environment, and to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.6.
A new Fisheries Subsidies Committee will oversee the implementation of the agreement and manage the Fish Fund, which will support developing countries in meeting their obligations.
Director of Programmes and Initiatives at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Zarak Khan said the Fish Fund was an innovative instrument that would be very helpful in assisting Pacific WTO members to implement their obligations under the agreement.
Four out of eight Pacific WTO members — Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Tonga — have ratified the agreement. The remaining members are working through their respective national processes to secure ratification mandates before the WTO’s Fourteenth Ministerial Conference in March 2026 in Cameroon.
The Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies is the WTO's first multilateral agreement with environmental sustainability at its core. It prohibits government support for illegal fishing activities and the overexploitation of fish stocks, contributing to the protection of marine life.
At the meeting, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala received the instruments of acceptance of the agreement from Brazil, Kenya, Vietnam and Tonga, bringing the total number of acceptances over the two-thirds threshold needed for the agreement to enter into force.
In her address to the WTO membership, Director-General Okonjo-Iweala said: “At a time when the international trading system faces profound challenges, the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies sends a powerful signal that WTO members can work together in a spirit of cooperation and shared responsibility to deliver solutions to global challenges. The entry into force of this agreement stands as a reminder that many of the biggest challenges we face are more effectively addressed at the multilateral level. People and nations need a multilateralism that delivers — which is why today is so reassuring.”
DG Okonjo-Iweala signed the official depositary notification of the agreement’s entry into force and handed it to General Council Chair Ambassador Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel of Saudi Arabia, marking the official integration of the agreement into the WTO legal framework.
Ambassador Almoqbel said that the agreement is a testament to the shared vision for sustainable global fisheries.
"Acceptance of the protocol has demanded not just the engagement of our ambassadors and delegates here in Geneva, but also genuine political will and careful coordination in capitals. It is thanks to our collective resolve and commitment that we witness its entry into force today," Almoqbel said.
The General Council chair also announced that Mali and Oman have ratified the agreement and will be depositing their instruments of acceptance in the near future.
Members hailed the agreement as a major milestone for the WTO, emphasising that it confirms their commitment to the multilateral trading system and to a more sustainable planet. They also pledged to begin implementing the agreement, underscoring the key role it will play in restoring fish stocks, protecting the livelihoods of fishing communities, and promoting food security.
By establishing rules that prohibit the worst forms of harmful fisheries subsidies, the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies will help protect the world’s fish stocks and the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people who depend on fisheries for food, income and employment.
