Ocean Conference: Joint Voluntary Commitments

Time is running out to find agreement on ending harmful fisheries subsidies by 2020 but a multi-agency push hosted by UNCTAD aims to inject momentum.

Written byMukhisa Kituyi, Secretary-General of UNCTAD and Peter Thomson, United Nations Special Envoy for the Ocean, United Nations.

With just 10 weeks until a World Trade Organization summit in Argentina, there is a risk that no global agreement will be made to address the issue of overfishing, an UNCTAD official has told a public meeting at the international body's Geneva base.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UN Environment) announced their voluntary commitment at the Oceans Conference in New York to assist member states in the implementation of effective, inclusive policies for Sustainable Trade in fisheries.