The Kingdom of Tonga has ratified the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, becoming the second Pacific Island nation after Fiji to take this important step. The Instrument of Acceptance was deposited at a special ceremony at WTO Headquarters in Geneva, where Tonga was represented by Her Excellency Honourable Titilupe Fanetupouvava’u Tu’ivakano, High Commissioner of the Kingdom of Tonga to the United Kingdom. Tonga’s ratification contributed to the Agreement entering into force after achieving the required threshold among WTO members.

“Today is a momentous milestone for Tonga and a testament of its strong and enduring commitment to the responsible stewardship of our ocean resources,” said Her Excellency.

“As a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), Tonga’s economy, culture, and food security are deeply tied to the ocean. The WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement will help curb harmful subsidies that contribute to overfishing and address illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. By ratifying the Agreement, Tonga joins the global community in safeguarding the long-term sustainability of marine resources for future generations, while reaffirming its faith in the rules-based multilateral system of the WTO and its commitment to strengthening this system.”

WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala welcomed the Agreement as a milestone for protecting oceans and fishing communities.

Looking ahead, Tonga will actively participate in the WTO 14th Ministerial Conference in March 2026 in Cameroon, where key issues such as WTO reform, fisheries, e-commerce, and reducing tariffs and harmful subsidies will be on the agenda.

Notes to Editors

The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies was adopted in June 2022 at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva.

The Agreement prohibits subsidies that contribute to:

• illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing,
• fishing of overfished stocks, and
• unregulated high seas fishing.
• It entered into force after two-thirds of WTO members deposited their Instruments of Acceptance.