THIRD AD HOC MEETING OF IGO'S ON WORK PROGRAMS

UNCLAS ROME 003413 SIPDIS FROM THE U.S. MISSION TO THE UN AGENCIES IN ROME DEPT FOR EB, OES/OMC, IO/EDA AND EAP/EP DEPT PLEASE PASS USTR FOR AMB ZOELLICK E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETRD EFIS SENV FAO SUBJECT: THIRD AD HOC MEETING OF IGO'S ON WORK PROGRAMS RELATED TO SUBSIDIES IN FISHERIES ¶1. SUMMARY. THE UNITED NATIONS FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION (FAO) CONVENED THE THIRD AD HOC MEETING OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS (IGOS) ON WORK PROGRAMS RELATED TO SUBSIDIES IN FISHERIES 23-25 JULY 2003 AT FAO HEADQUARTERS IN ROME. THE MEETING PRODUCED A CLEARER VISION FOR FUTURE FAO WORK IN ESTABLISHING THE LINKAGES BETWEEN SUBSIDIES AND FISHING CAPACITY AND ILLEGAL, UNREGULATED AND UNREPORTED (IUU) FISHING. END SUMMARY. ¶2. THIS AD HOC MEETING WAS UNLIKE THE TWO PREVIOUS MEETINGS, IN THAT THE FAO SECRETARIAT USED A CONSULTANT TO PREPARE A PROPOSED WORK PROGRAM AND BROUGHT THREE ACADEMICS WITH EXPERIENCE IN SUBSIDIES ANALYSIS TO LEAD THE DISCUSSION OF THE WORK PROGRAM. THE 25TH MEETING OF THE FAO COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES (COFI),DISAPPOINTED WITH THE SLOW PROGRESS TOWARDS USEFUL ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SUBSIDIES AND EXCESS FISHING CAPACITY AND BETWEEN SUBSIDIES AND IUU FISHING, HAD GIVEN FAO CONSIDERABLE GUIDANCE IN HOW TO PROCEED. ¶3. THE CONSULTANT'S PRESENTATION CENTERED ON HOW TO APPLY THE GUIDANCE FROM COFI TO THE PROBLEM THROUGH A CLASSIC APPROACH TO STUDY DESIGN. THIS INCLUDED: (1) STATING THE MANDATE FOR THE STUDY AND THE "FRAMEWORK" WITHIN WHICH IT WOULD BE APPLIED; (2) LISTING THE QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED BY THE STUDY; (3) DESCRIBING THE METHODOLOGY; (4) DESCRIBING THE EXPECTED RESULTS; AND (5) BY PROVIDING A LIST OF ISSUES TO BE DISCUSSED BY THE AD HOC MEETING TO TEST THE STUDY DESIGN AND TO SEE IF OTHER WORK, ALREADY COMPLETED OR IN PROGRESS IN IGOS, MIGHT BE RELEVANT. ¶4. REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE PERMANENT COMMISSION FOR THE SOUTH PACIFIC (CPPS),THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY AND COMMON MARKET (CARICOM),THE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH-EAST ASIAN NATIONS (ASEAN),THE UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME (UNEP),THE ORGANIZATION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD),THE ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION (APEC) FISHERIES WORKING GROUP AND THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION (WTO) PARTICIPATED IN THE MEETING. THE IGO REPRESENTATIVES EACH PRESENTED BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE ON-GOING SUBSIDIES POLICY DIRECTIONS AND STUDY RESULTS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS. OES/OMC OFFICER STETSON TINKHAM, CURRENT LEAD SHEPHERD (CHAIR) OF THE APEC FISHERIES WORKING GROUP, DESCRIBED INVOLVEMENT BY LEADERS OF EACH OF THE 21 APEC ECONOMIES IN APEC PRIORITY-SETTING AND SUGGESTED THAT MIGHT BE USEFUL IN MOVING THE SUBSIDY AGENDA FORWARD. OTHERS DESCRIBED THEIR RESPECTIVE ROLES IN SUBSIDIES WORK, AS WELL AS THE DIFFICULTIES THEY WERE EXPERIENCING IN CARRYING OUT THIS WORK. ¶5. THE CONSULTANT HAD BEGUN WITH THE RESULTS OF THE DECEMBER 2002 FAO EXPERT CONSULTATION ON "IDENTIFYING, ASSESSING AND REPORTING ON SUBSIDIES IN THE FISHING INDUSTRY." SHE REFINED THE SERIES OF "GUIDELINES" DEVELOPED AT THE DECEMBER MEETING INTO THE STUDY DESIGN PRESENTED AT THIS AD HOC MEETING. THE MEETING CONCLUDED THAT THE CONSULTANT HAD DEVELOPED A GOOD STUDY DESIGN, BUT THAT THE MODEL SHE RECOMMENDED FOR USE IN DETERMINING THE IMPACT OF SUBSIDIES ON OVERCAPITALIZATION AND ON IUU FISHING NEEDED TO BE TESTED WITH "REAL WORLD" DATA. BASIL SHARP, ONE OF THE ACADEMIC EXPERTS INVITED TO THE MEETING BY FAO, AGREED TO "RUN" THE MODEL WITH FISHERIES DATA TO WHICH HE HAD ACCESS. FAO PLANS TO USE THE CASE STUDIES DEVELOPED USING THE MODEL TO INFORM THE DISCUSSION AT AN INTER-GOVERNMENTAL CONSULTATION ON SUBSIDIES IN FISHERIES. THAT CONSULTATION IS CURRENTLY SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE IN MID-2004. ¶6. THE RESULTS OF THE DECEMBER 2002 CONSULTATION ARE AVAILABLE FROM THE FAO IN FAO FISHERIES REPORT NO. 698 (FIPP/R698) ISSN 0429-9337. THE DRAFT REPORT OF THE AD HOC MEETING IS AVAILABLE FROM OES/OMC (CONTACT STETSON TINKHAM BY E-MAIL AT TINKHAMSX(AT)STATE.GOV . HALL NNNN 2003ROME03413 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED