• Resolution Calling for Establishment of Fair Trade Rules on International Trade of Fish and Fishery Products in Cebu, Philippines in 2002
  • Resolution on Trade Rules of Fish and Fish products
  • We participants in the ICFO Plenary meeting held at Radisson SAS Plaza Hotel, Oslo, Norway on 5 September, 2003,
  • Recognizing that we have very important roles as national level fisheries cooperative organizations for safeguarding the interest of our respective member organizations and their member fishers, as well as for supply of fishery products to the nationals,
  • Pledging that we in the fisheries cooperative sector will comply with, and implement, various national, regional and international rules and regulations,
  • Calling for the necessity to use fisheries resources in a sustainable way and for the establishment of trade rules that are acceptable to each country and that do not prejudice one from the other,
  • Resolved as follows:
  • Trade rules that are to be established by the WTO should be made as such that would duly contribute to the sustainable use of fisheries resources, and that the promotion of free trade on global level should not threaten viability and the very existence of each country’s fishing communities.
  • In other words, if these are put in more specific terms,
  • 1. From the standpoint of the necessity to ensure sustainable use of exhaustible natural resources, we can not accept tariff
  • elimination of fish and fish products
  • 2. As regards tariff reduction formula, maximum possible consideration should be given to "sensitive products" in each country, with
  • due consideration paid to status of stocks and the state of actual fisheries resource management, and that the formula should be made as flexible as possible so that it can be acceptable to each country.
  • 3. In clarifying and improving WTO disciplines on fisheries subsidies, due consideration should be given to the discussions by FAO
  • and other organizations that have expertise on matters of fisheries.
  • September 5, 2003
  • Oslo, Norway
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