Week Ahead: WHO to Appoint Next DG, WTO Sees Positive Advances in Fisheries Negotiations, Interview with Dr. Emmanuel Letouzé, Director and Founder of Data-Pop Alliance

What is the Role of the European Union in Data Governance? How Are Fisheries Negotiations Advancing? A Week Packed with Meetings and the First IRL GHA.

WTO

Ambassador Santiago Wills of Colombia gave an update on the state-of-affairs and the progress made during a week of negotiations on the draft text to be finalised before May 30, and that will be adopted during the WTO upcoming Ministerial Conference.

Data. We need more data.

Overfishing, collecting key information on the health of oceans to prevent harmful practices by fisheries, penalties for non-compliance, all that and more was on the table. Territoriality and forced labour used by vessels and operator, subsidies to distant water fishing, and reflagging also popped-up, with member-states providing constructive amendments, said Ambassador Wills.

What next? It is decision week.

The negotiations continue till the 30 of May. Members showed willingness to finish the negotiations by MC12. It is now or never, as Elvis once said. Never is not an option. The climate crisis forces all to be flexible and get the draft text cleaned-up for MC12.