The Fisheries Subsidies Agreement: A Landmark Accord for Ocean Sustainability

The Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (AFS), adopted on 17 June 2022 at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference, marks a historic milestone in global efforts to promote ocean sustainability. As the first purely environmental agreement under the WTO framework, the AFS partially fulfills the mandates of UN Sustainable Development Goal 14.6 by targeting subsidies that contribute to overfishing, overcapacity, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Given its novel legal and institutional mechanisms, the AFS raises important questions regarding its interpretation, implementation, and integration within the multilateral trading system.
To foster dialogue and deepen understanding, the Asian Center for WTO and International Health Law and Policy (ACWH) and the Permanent Mission of the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu to the WTO to the WTO co-hosted a high-level conference in September 2023. The event brought together WTO officials, scholars, and regional stakeholders to examine the AFS’s architecture, its links to existing WTO rules and international norms, and critical implementation challenges. This special issue features selected papers from the conference, contributing to the ongoing discourse on effective implementation and future negotiations.
Looking ahead, the anticipated conclusion of the second phase of fisheries subsidies negotiations promises to establish a comprehensive framework to govern all forms of harmful subsidies. The AFS represents a foundational step toward sustainable fisheries governance, and continued scholarly engagement will be essential to refine and strengthen its disciplines.