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WTO / FISHERIES SUBSIDIES NEGOTIATIONS
STORY: WTO / FISHERIES SUBSIDIES NEGOTIATIONS
TRT: 3:31
SOURCE: WTO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 14 DECEMBER 2020, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
14 DECEMBER 2020, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Zoom in, WTO headquarters exterior
2. Zoom in, WTO logo at the entrance
3. Pan right, Ambassador Santiago Wills arrives for virtual press conference
4. Med shot, Wills enters room for virtual press conference
5. Tilt up, Wills prepares for virtual press conference
6. Wide shot, Wills and officials prepare for virtual press conference
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Santiago Wills, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the World Trade Organization and Chair of the fisheries subsidies negotiations:
“It is now clear that we simply cannot make up the time we've lost to the COVID-19 pandemic and bring the negotiations to a successful outcome this year. However, the truth is that we did make a lot of progress this year, and for this, the credit goes to all WTO members for maintaining a high level of commitment and determination.”
8. Wide shot, Wills at virtual press conference
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Santiago Wills, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the World Trade Organization and Chair of the fisheries subsidies negotiations:
“Major differences remain, but in some areas where we have spent many hours working on specific texts, delegations are not that far apart. This is less true for some other topics, but with the right will and proper engagement, I am convinced we can finish this in the near future.”
10. Wide shot, Wills at virtual press conference
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Santiago Wills, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the World Trade Organization and Chair of the fisheries subsidies negotiations:
“While we should not underestimate the setback of missing the deadline, we should not be discouraged either. To the contrary, we should be encouraged by the progress made, with the momentum that has been built, and by the real and unique opportunity we have to conclude this process in the near future, fulfilling the responsibility that has been tasked upon us. A WTO agreement on fisheries subsidies will undoubtedly be an important step in securing the future of our oceans and our peoples. Members, recognizing this, have been working hard to get it right, the efforts of civil society have been vital as well.”
12. Wide shot, Wills at virtual press conference
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Santiago Wills, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the World Trade Organization and Chair of the fisheries subsidies negotiations:
“What I can do at this moment is to walk you through the different topics that we've been addressing in the negotiations, and that have been the focus of our work in the past weeks. The three substantive pillars of the negotiations, as you know, are comprised by the subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, that affect our fish stocks and those that end up in the wrong hands of those that are engaging in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. And, of course, with all of this, the special and differential treatment that is integral to the negotiations.”
14. Wide shot, Wills at virtual press conference
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Santiago Wills, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the World Trade Organization and Chair of the fisheries subsidies negotiations:
“The idea for now is to work as fast as possible, as efficiently as possible, to deliver an agreement whenever we can in the near future. As I mentioned earlier, this is like a debt that we owe to the global community and the debt is increasing with every day that passes. So with that, it's the view of the members that we should try to finish an agreement as soon as possible. Also, based on the underlying mandates that we still have, the SDG mandate and the MC11 mandate.”
16. Tilt down, WTO logo towards Wills
17. Close up, Wills listens to question by journalist
18. Wide shot, virtual press conference underway
Ambassador Santiago Wills of Colombia, chair of the fisheries subsidies negotiations, said while progress has been made, a conclusion to the negotiations is not possible by year end, in part because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the negotiations.
A virtual press conference in Geneva today (14 Dec), Wills said it was “now clear that we simply cannot make up the time we've lost to the COVID-19 pandemic and bring the negotiations to a successful outcome this year.” However, he stressed that “a lot of progress” was made this year.
The Chair of the fisheries subsidies negotiations said major differences remain, “but in some areas where we have spent many hours working on specific texts, delegations are not that far apart. This is less true for some other topics, but with the right will and proper engagement, I am convinced we can finish this in the near future.”
He added, “While we should not underestimate the setback of missing the deadline, we should not be discouraged either. To the contrary, we should be encouraged by the progress made, with the momentum that has been built, and by the real and unique opportunity we have to conclude this process in the near future, fulfilling the responsibility that has been tasked upon us. A WTO agreement on fisheries subsidies will undoubtedly be an important step in securing the future of our oceans and our peoples. Members, recognizing this, have been working hard to get it right, the efforts of civil society have been vital as well.”
Ambassador Wills said the idea for now is to work “as fast as possible, as efficiently as possible, to deliver an agreement whenever we can in the near future.” He said this “like a debt that we owe to the global community and the debt is increasing with every day that passes.”
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