109 organisations have signed a statement and started a countdown urging world leaders to act and deliver on their commitment – sustainable development goal 14.6 – to eliminate subventions that encourage overfishing by 2020
Approximately 20 Billion euros are spent by governments each year in harmful subsidies that encourage overfishing. In 2015, world leaders committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), a proposal to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. One of the targets was SDG 14.6, which tasked the governments with reaching a new agreement at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to eliminate harmful subsidies by 2020.
In 99 days, the governments of 164 WTO members will meet in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, for the twelfth ministerial conference. In this context, 109 civil society organisations, including CFFA, have signed a policy statement urging world leaders to reach a deal at the conference. These organisations have also started a countdown to encourage them to work swiftly to deliver on the target and by the 2020 deadline.
The deal, these organisations advice, must “establish a binding framework” for the “phase out of all harmful subsidies” that contribute to overfishing while all countries should be prepared to “support the livelihoods of their fishermen” by reforming their fisheries programs. “Anything less would miss this generational opportunity to replot the course of global fishing fleets toward sustainability, improve the health of ocean ecosystems, and help ensure that the ocean will continue to provide for the many millions who depend on it.”
More information:
Read the full statement by 109 organisations
The countdown website “Stop Funding Overfishing”
On SDG 14 “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”