Mudavadi described the move as a critical step in protecting ocean sustainability by addressing harmful fishing subsidies.
Kenya is in the final stages of ratifying the World Trade Organization (WTO) Fisheries Subsidies Agreement, according to Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
“With Cabinet approval already secured and parliamentary review in progress, we anticipate completing the ratification process shortly,” he stated.
While attending the 58th session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Mudavadi met with WTO Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and reaffirmed Kenya’s strong commitment to the Multilateral Trading System.
He emphasized that Kenya is playing an active role in shaping WTO reforms, especially in the area of dispute settlement, with the goal of creating a fairer, more resilient, and inclusive global trade environment.
“Kenya values the continued support of the WTO Secretariat in training and capacity building, which has already benefited three Kenyan professionals through the Young Professionals Programme,” Mudavadi added.
Looking ahead, he noted, “As we prepare for the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference in Yaoundé, Cameroon, in 2026, we remain focused on driving meaningful progress in global trade.”
The WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement was adopted at the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) on June 17, 2022.
The agreement aims to eliminate subsidies for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, subsidies for fishing overfished stocks, and subsidies for fishing in areas outside a coastal country’s jurisdiction.
