Project
ShutterstockTowards an end to subsidies that promote overfishing
Overfishing is one of the main problems for the health of our ocean. And the provision of negative subsidies to the fishing sector is one of the fundamental causes of overfishing.
Fishing subsidies are financial contributions, direct or indirect, that public entities grant to the industry.
Depending on their impacts, they can be beneficial when they promote the growth of fish stocks through conservation and fishery resource management tools. And they are considered negative or detrimental when they promote overfishing with support for, for example, increasing the catch capacity of a fishing fleet.
It is estimated that every year, governments spend approximately 22 billion dollars in negative subsidies to compensate costs for fuel, fishing gear and vessel improvements, among others.
Recent data show that, as a result of this support, 63% of fish stocks worldwide must be rebuilt and 34% are fished at "biologically unsustainable" levels.
Although negotiations on fisheries subsidies, within the framework of the World Trade Organization, officially began in 2001, it was not until the 2017 WTO Ministerial Conference that countries committed to taking action to reach an agreement.
This finally happened in June 2022, when member countries of the World Trade Organization reached, after more than two decades, a binding agreement to curb some harmful fisheries subsidies. It represents a fundamental step toward achieving the effective management of our fisheries resources, as well as toward ensuring global food security and the livelihoods of coastal communities.
The agreement reached at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference provides for the creation of a global framework to reduce subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; subsidies for fishing overexploited stocks; and subsidies for vessels fishing on the unregulated high seas. It also includes measures aimed at greater transparency and accountability in the way governments support their fisheries sector.
The countries agreed to continue negotiating rules to curb other harmful subsidies, such as those that promote fishing in other countries' waters, overfishing and the overcapacity of a fleet to catch more fish than is sustainable.
If we want to have abundant and healthy fishery resources, it is time to change the way we have conceived fishing until now. We must focus our efforts on creating models of fishery use that allow for long-term conservation.
Partners:
International Principles for Responsible Divestment from Fossil Fuels
Against the backdrop of an ever-worsening climate emergency, companies must rapidly withdraw from the extraction of coal, oil, and gas as well as associated fossil energy industries and ancillary facilities for transport, storage, refining, and processing. The urgent need to quit fossil fuels, however, does not justify irresponsible divestment by fossil energy companies. Rapid closure and responsible closure of the fossil fuel industry are not mutually incompatible agendas. Both are vital to achieve climate and environmental justice and a just energy transition.In the absence of responsible divestment policies and practices, communities are left facing legacy pollution, as well as the long-term health risks that come from abandoned infrastructure that is not properly decommissioned and a lack of proper ecosystem restoration. Many communities also confront significant loss of livelihoods and financial hardship as the fossil fuel industry divests with no regard for the local economic consequences, particularly where economic dependencies have been built up over time.Rooted in the lived experiences and demands of communities and workers affected by fossil fuel activities around the world, and in line with existing international obligations of states and international frameworks for corporate accountability, including the responsibility to respect human rights, these International Principles for Responsible Divestment from Fossil Fuels set out a positive agenda that all companies and states must follow to advance a just transition. They are designed to shift the power imbalance currently favouring powerful companies and states in order to ensure that affected communities and workers have agency and control over how fossil fuel divestment occurs. They are intended to be followed by companies and made obligatory by the states. Read and download the document
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Families in La Oroya are calling on the Peruvian government to take four urgent actions to ensure effective compliance with the Inter-American Court’s ruling
In the absence of significant progress, they are calling on the government to identify the entities responsible for implementing each measure ordered by the Court, to provide comprehensive and specialized health care, to ensure the mitigation of pollution from the La Oroya Metallurgical Complex, and to immediately pay compensation to the victims of the case. La Oroya, Peru. Given the minimal progress made in complying with the ruling issued two years ago by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, families affected by decades of pollution in La Oroya are demanding that the government urgently take four necessary steps to ensure the effective implementation of the ruling in the short term.On March 22, 2024, the international court issued a ruling holding the Peruvian government responsible for human rights violations against a group of 80 residents of La Oroya and ordering it to take comprehensive remediation measures. However, implementation of the ruling remains in its early stages, primarily due to the government’s lack of political will and its constant shifting of arguments to delay the process. Progress to date has been limited to publicizing the ruling, making payments to the Victims’ Fund established by the Court, and launching criminal investigations into the stigmatization and persecution of victims for their environmental defense work.Furthermore, in the two years since the ruling was issued, the La Oroya Metallurgical Complex, having resumed operations, has once again caused pollution levels in the city to exceed those recommended by the World Health Organization. "The reactivation of the Metallurgical Complex in March 2024, without complying with current environmental standards, once again puts the health of the entire population of La Oroya at risk. Today, neither the victims in this case nor the rest of the city’s residents are guaranteed access to healthcare in the face of pollution. Furthermore, there is no clarity on when this situation will end, which creates significant uncertainty due to the government’s failure to act," stated Rosa Peña, senior attorney at the Inter-American Association for Environmental Defense (AIDA), the organization bringing the case before the Court alongside the Pro Human Rights Association (APRODEH) of Peru. In light of this situation, the group of victims in the case is calling on the Peruvian government to move forward with implementing the ruling through four urgent actions:Issue a resolution determining jurisdiction that clearly defines which entity is responsible for each court order, and establishes a budget and specific implementation deadlines.Adopt and implement a specialized protocol for comprehensive health care, developed with the active participation of victims and with sufficient funding.Suspend operations at the Metallurgical Complex until an environmental management plan is in place that complies with the standards established by the Court; and evaluate transitional measures for property owners and workers to prevent further social impacts.Pay compensation to the victims as ordered by the Court. After more than 20 years of struggle, the landmark ruling in the case has yet to translate into better living conditions for the victims or into reparations for the harm they suffered. "It is deeply concerning that, two years after the ruling was issued, the government has not yet determined which agencies will be responsible for enforcing each of its provisions. This situation makes it impossible to even establish a forum for direct coordination on behalf of the victims and the general population of La Oroya and the country regarding mining and metallurgical activities. Let us not forget that the Court also ordered public policies at the national level to protect the environment and health in Peru," said Christian Huaylinos of APRODEH’s legal department.Although Peru’s political instability has played a role, the main obstacle to steady progress in implementing the binding international ruling has been the government’s lack of determination. Press contactLorena Zárate | AIDA | [email protected] | +52 553902 7481
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Trade rules for a living planet: reforming the WTO for economic and environmental justice
Contemporary global trade can be understood as a form of multilateral cooperation and capital mobilization that enables global economic flows. However, the current configuration of global trade risks perpetuating historical inequalities and accelerating natural capital degradation , since it does not adequately address the urgency of the threats described. The imbalance between economy and environment is not primarily a technological or capital constraint, both are widely available; though unequally distributed among the countries, but rather a problem of rules and institutions that incentivize intensified extraction of energy and materials, as well as labor exploitation, without accounting for long-term consequences. As civil society organizations, we view the 14th Ministerial Conference and its reform process as a pivotal historical moment: an opportunity to shape a future in which the trade rules become a tool to address inequality and environmental degradation rather than deepen them. This requires respect of consensus, Special and Differential Treatment, and genuine Member-driven governance, that effectively includes the voices of developing and least-developed countries. It is also an opportunity to initiate meaningful change in the power structures that have developed through decades of economic inequality and environmental harm. To advance these objectives, we propose that WTO Members consider some reflections during the 14th Ministerial Conference: Read and download the document
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