On Monday, March 25 and Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in the Conference Centre, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) Secretariat, CARICOM Secretariat and the World Trade Organization (WTO) Secretariat will host the Second Technical Workshop on the Ratification and Implementation of the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement.

The Opening Ceremony is on Monday at 9:00 AM (AST).

Speakers

• The Hon. Kerrie Symmonds, M.P., Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and Senior Minister coordinating the Productive Sector, Barbados
• Mrs. Therese Turner-Jones, Vice-President (Operations) (Ag.), CDB
• Amb. Wayne McCook, Asst. Secretary-General, CARICOM Single Market and Trade
• Mr. Milton Haughton, Executive Director, CRFM Secretariat
• Ms. Clarisse Morgan, Director, Rules Division, WTO Secretariat

Background

The purpose of the two-day Workshop is to provide a platform for knowledge exchange to be managed by the CRFM, to facilitate Member States’ acceptance and ratification of the Agreement. Specifically, the workshop seeks to:

• Provide resources and tools to guide national ratification and implementation of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies;
• Chart a way forward for the implementation of the Agreement by national Fisheries and Trade officials; and
• Strengthen capacity of national Fisheries and Trade officials to implement the Agreement.

This Workshop is a follow-up to the first technical workshop on Fisheries Subsidies for the Caribbean held in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, January 17-19, 2023.