Page 29 - IB April 2023

Fisheries

WTO FISHERIES AGREEMENT AWAITS

RATIFICATION

By Samantha Magick
The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation
(WTO) says members need to move faster on ratifying a
fisheries agreement that would ban subsidies for illegal,
unreported and unregulated fishing.
“We need to move quicker on ratifying the agreement
reached last June, which will only enter into force once
two-thirds of the WTO membership has accepted it,” Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala said this month.
She adds that the WTO needs to complete the “second
wave” of negotiations on fisheries subsidies by agreeing
on new disciplines for harmful subsidies that contribute to
overfishing and overcapacity. WTO Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Pacific Islands Ambassador in
Last June, Pacific Island nations played an important role Geneva, Mere Falemaka
in concluding the Protocol on the Agreement of Fisheries
Subsidies, after two years of negotiations. They not only
helped to reach consensus on the ‘Geneva Package’ across
the WTO membership, but also successfully insisted on a Pacific’s perspective:
treaty upgrade within four years to tackle outstanding issues. ● Strengthened disciplines on overfishing and overcapacity
● Reinforced rights and sovereignty over waters, as
THE FRED HOLLOWS FOUNDATION NZ: partial agreement before July. However only four WTO provided under the United Nations Convention on the
The WTO has urged its members to formally accept the
Law of the Sea
members have done so: Seychelles, Singapore, Switzerland
A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO EYE CARE and the United States. For it to come into force, 109 ● Special and Differential Treatment for developing
countries, especially Small Island Developing States
governments must lodge their formal acceptance.
To date, none of the Pacific WTO members: Tonga, Vanuatu, ● Disciplines on Distant Water Fishing Nations when fishing
Pacific Island nations make up six of the top ten countries with the cost of accessibility for patients to come to a main hospital. So, we work Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Samoa, have in the Pacific.
highest rate of diabetes globally, and diabetic retinopathy, a complication in collaboration with Ministries of Health on the prevention side and formally accepted the Protocol, despite Okonjo-Iweala’s The WTO Director-General acknowledged the challenges
of diabetes, is quickly becoming the most common cause of vision support services to better reach the community, particularly those living entreaties last November that they do so. resource-stretched countries would face in implementing the
impairment. far from urban centres,” she added. At the time, she told Islands Business, “I do not believe agreement when she was in Fiji last year, saying: “We have to
Also known as diabetes eye disease, the condition can present in a The Foundation’s Diabetic Retinopathy Health Awareness training we could have gotten the fishery subsidies agreement we did make sure that any gaps in management capacity for fishery-
variety of ways. “Almost everyone who has diabetes is at risk of developing and outreaches have been key in strengthening referral pathways from without the role of the Pacific. They were instrumental, they in data collection or statistical analysis- we can help the
diabetic retinopathy if not managed well. Some of the symptoms include the community/primary level to secondary/tertiary care. Pacific Island foreign countries to take care of.”
blurry or patchy vision or sudden vision loss,” says Komal Ram, Pacific “If a patient with diabetes lives in a village setting, the first point of call were leaders in trying to make this happen. And we would like
Programme Manager for The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ. will be the village health worker. We want to make sure that the village to see that continue in the second phase of the agreement, She suggested the WTO’s Fisheries Fund might assist with
Unfortunately, we are seeing many people in our region reach the health worker has basic information on what to do for a patient with and also in implementation of the first phase.” these gaps. That fund became operational last November, and
worst stages of diabetic retinopathy, which requires advanced treatments diabetes and where to refer them for an annual check-up or if they are Okonjo-Iweala continued: “Leadership in doing that is is designed to help the WTO’s developing members make the
to prevent further sight loss. To address this irreversible condition, already having problems with their eyes. what I’m asking for. If they were instrumental in making the legislative and administrative changes necessary to implement
The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ is supporting its Ministry of Health “We have a Diabetic Retinopathy Awareness Training Module for agreement come together, they can be leaders in being the the agreement. Australia, Canada and Japan are amongst the
partners in the Pacific by taking a “more integrated approach” which health workers. It was developed with our Pacific Ministry of Health first to deposit these instruments so that we can actually get countries that have pledged to support the fund.
includes regular eye screening along with raising awareness of diabetic diabetic retinopathy coordinators and eye health clinicians through a implementation started. The longer we wait, the more the Yet criticisms of the deal persist in some quarters.
retinopathy amongst the primary and community health care sectors. training kit that we’ve put together and it’s been tested. For example, big subsidisers will be able to fish illegally and deplete our Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) Campaigner, Adam
In recent years, The Foundation conducted two qualitative studies on we train health and community workers on how to do a simple visual Wolfenden said they were concerned the agreement may
patients’ perceptions of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy in Kiribati and acuity test.” ocean. ”
Vanuatu, and found that inhibiting issues include the cost of accessing The Foundation has also translated health promotion resources into The Pacific Island’s outgoing Ambassador in Geneva, Mere undermine Pacific fisheries management, and “make it harder
health services and the stigma attached, especially in rural and remote local languages. Falemaka says ratification is a decision Pacific Islands Forum to subsidise small-scale fishers.”
settings. “We also understand that there is a big need for evidence-based members will need to make individually: “The domestic The agreement, he adds, “has limited and not eliminated
As described by one ni-Vanuatu respondent, “There are many people information, especially on eye health. In the Pacific, our partners ratification, obviously it will be different for different subsidies and failed to target those historically responsible for
in Vanuatu who do not want to hear anything about diabetes from any currently don’t have that information to inform the direction of future members because some of them simply require Cabinet overfishing, the burdens of the agreement are being carried
source. They are scared to go to the clinic or hospital for a medical check eye health programmes. This year we have embarked on a significant decision for the ratification to proceed. Others require by those least responsible.”
because they are afraid they might have diabetes.” piece of work on the state-of-eye-health research across the Pacific, in Cabinet and Parliament so that will obviously require a longer Wolfenden believes that in allowing fishing of overfished
The studies show that “we cannot only work on eyes, we have to look partnership with the University of Auckland. This research programme stocks, provided there are measures in place to rebuild those
at diabetic retinopathy holistically and have a wider approach, and intends to develop the evidence that Pacific governments and decision- process,” she told Pacnews last year. stocks to a sustainable level, there is an opportunity “for
work with all our diabetes and Non-Communicable-Disease (NCD) makers require to establish eye health plans and policies that will The Agreement would also end subsidies for fishing on the
stakeholders,” Ram said. strengthen and sustain their eye-health systems for the long term.” unregulated high seas. the Pacific nations to be challenged on the [sustainability]
“We’re very aware of the geographical spread of the Pacific and the However, there are some outstanding issues from the measures they have in place.”

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