Prince of Wales delivers strong statement on harmful subsidies

05 October 2017

On October 5, 2017, during the opening session of “Our Ocean” Conference in Malta, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales delivered a powerful address about harmful subsidies and SDG 14.

The Prince of Whales mentioned how encouraged he was by the World Trade Organization’s progress on the issue of fisheries subsidies.

The Prince of Wales’ statement

“Being confronted by all these issues,* surely ladies and gentlemen, the time is long overdue, for taking a thorough global look at perverse fisheries subsidies and their effects – particularly where they appear to contribute to overfishing, overcapacity and to illegal unreported and unregulated fishing.

I realise I am far from the first to ask this question. Indeed, it forms one of the targets of Sustainable.Development.Goal.14, which deals with the vital importance of protecting our ocean.

Can it be right though, to argue on the one hand, that our Ocean must be protected whilst, on the other, activities that cause harm to the Ocean should be subsidised? 

The fact that the World Trade Organization is seeking to identify and eliminate the inconsistencies of fisheries subsidies is in itself at least encouraging and I look forward to seeing the results that flow from the W.T.O. Ministerial conference this December.”

*The Prince is referring to previous elements of his speech: climate change, plastic pollution, overfishing etc.

Watch The Prince of Wales’ statement on video