As the ministers met to assess their differences on trade issues at the World Trade Organization ministerial conference this Wednesday, a wide range of rich and poor countries and environmental organizations met on the issue of fisheries subsidies.
Trade and agriculture ministers from the United States, the European Union, Brazil, Senegal, New Zealand and the Philippines joined 11 environmental organizations to call for WTO rules that will be used to prohibit government subsidies to fishing that contribute to overfishing.
The change reflects the spread of the influence of trade policies and underlines the dilemma they pose to non-profit groups.
The collective stance is important because it represents the first time that an initiative launched by non-governmental organizations - in this case, WWF International and other environmental groups - has been adopted by the WTO as part of trade negotiations rule. Pascal Lamy, WTO director general, has circulated a draft text here a ban on subsidies to overfishing, although many technical details have yet to be developed.
Broad support by environmental activists for fishing subsidy limits contrasted with protests outside the convention center of anti-globalization protesters from around the world. South Korean farmers opposed to free trade in rice scuffled with police for a second day, but there were no arrests and no reported injuries.
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