SEAFDEC Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center
In response to the recommendation made by the SEAFDEC Council during its 53rd Meeting in 2021, SEAFDEC convened the Webinar Series on WTO Fisheries Subsidies Draft Consolidated Text (Negotiating Group on Rules) which was held on 10 June 2021 (open session) and 17 June 2021 (closed session).
During the open session on 10 June 2021, more than 100 participants attended who were from the countries in Southeast Asia and around the world. Key issues and concerns with regard to the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Draft Consolidated Text were presented by resource persons from the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the Commonwealth, as well as from SEAFDEC Member Countries (Japan, Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam). The video record of the Webinar is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z72uNI5Tvek&t=1144s.
Moreover, on 17 June 2021 was attended by the representatives from the fisheries and relevant agencies of the SEAFDEC Member Countries, namely: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam, as well as SEAFDEC officials. At this closed session, the representatives from the SEAFDEC Member Countries expressed the views of their respective countries on the current WTO Draft Consolidated Text on Fisheries Subsidies Negotiations. and. The Meeting discussed the way forward and came up with the positions of the respective countries which would be consolidated and concluded, and subsequently for submission to SEAFDEC Council for consideration.