This process crystalised the essential role of bilateral consultation during the cooperative process. Prior to convening participants from the five countries, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue first undertook detailed individual consultation with participants from each country. This helped ensure the meetings and overall process remained consistent with the priorities of each country and focused on what is politically possible.

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One of the key challenges faced by the WTO is negotiating “special and differential treatment” for developing and least developed countries (LDC). Special and differential treatments are an important component of all WTO agreements as they support developing countries and LDCs with capacity-building and ensure that the required technical support to enable the full implementation of WTO agreements is available.

While radar and optical imagery data may help reveal the true extent of fishing activity globally, these tools do have their limitations. Satellite’s cannot take pictures of the entire ocean, and where available, imagery may be infrequent due to the satellite’s orbit. Additionally, distinguishing fishing boats from other types of vessels remains a challenge, especially in areas of high vessel traffic like east Asia and the Persian Gulf – although Global Fishing Watch’s research shows that vessels operating on the continental shelf and positioned far from shipping lanes or oil-producing regions, are often fishing vessels.

On the supply side, the non-profit SmartFish NGO screens and then partners with artisanal fishing cooperatives (co-ops) with strong institutional capacity such as leadership and administrative structures. We ‘incubate’ them, professionalizing, and bringing in line with international standards, all aspects of their businesses across the three sustainability dimensions – environmental, social and economic. As a result, these co-ops produce higher-quality seafood that’s also more responsibly caught, more sustainable and also food-safety certified.