The Philippines is in the process of ratifying the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said in Davos, Switzerland.
“We affirm our country’s commitment to contribute to the second wave of the fisheries negotiations. I would like to emphasize that one of the top priorities of the Philippines is to advance agriculture negotiations. There is also an urgent need to restore the 2-tier dispute settlement system and unblock the impasse in the selection process of the appellate body,” said Pascual.
Pascual, alongside 22 ministers and senior officials representing a broad spectrum of the WTO membership, joined the informal WTO ministerial gathering hosted by the Swiss government.
The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss priorities for the next stages of collaboration following the successful outcomes of the 12th Ministerial Conference held in Geneva in June 2022. It also offered a platform to provide political direction and motivation in preparation for the 13th Ministerial Conference, which will take place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in February 2024.