his policy brief provides an overview of the main fish pillars associated with the current WTO mandate on fisheries subsidies – overfishing and overfished stocks, capacity, and Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. It also addresses traditional scientific concepts like the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) in determining overfishing, the main FAO instruments associated with capacity and combatting IUU fishing, and the Regional Fisheries Management Organization (RFMOs) and flag, port, and...

This policy brief provides an overview of the latest statistic data on fisheries and aquaculture production and trade, highlighting the importance of international trade to many countries, particularly developing countries. It is also stressed the rank of fisheries and aquaculture trade in comparison with other animal proteins. Small-scale fisheries are also analyzed, including their singularity and characterization issues.

Measures adopted around the world to contain the COVID-19 outbreak helped curb the spread of the virus and lowered the pressure on health systems. However, they also affected the global trading system, and the supply and demand of agricultural and food products. In response to concerns over food security and food safety worldwide, many countries reacted immediately to apply policy measures aiming to limit potentially adverse impacts on domestic markets....

This policy brief provides an overview on the role of digital technologies in optimizing traceability in trade for animals and animal products. It highlights the ways in which digital technologies can the enhance performance for monitoring and controlling animal disease, managing food safety and fraud risks, complying with animal production and food standards, facilitating trade and raising consumer awareness.

This policy brief provides an overview of how digital technologies can help facilitate access to trade finance for market participants, in particular micro, small and medium sized enterprises, by addressing numerous challenges in traditional trade finance.

This policy brief is based on the FAO (2018) report “Policy coherence for agricultural transformation in African least developed countries: Aligning agriculture and trade policymaking processes”. The report presents the results of the Multi-partner Programme Support Mechanism (FMM) Project on Trade related capacity development for food security and nutrition in Eastern and Southern Africa, implemented by FAO and focusing on four least developed countries in Africa: Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and...

This brief provides an overview of the potential of distributed ledger technologies to facilitate transactions in agricultural supply chains through enhanced traceability, efficiency, transparency and accountability.

With agriculture accounting for roughly 70 percent of employment and 30 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in low-income countries, trade in agricultural products has the potential to significantly affect rural employment, incomes and poverty in these countries.

Between 10 and 13 December 2017, Trade Ministers gathered in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to participate in the Eleventh WTO Ministerial Conference (MC11). Following the conclusion of the meeting, this brief reports on its outcome, with particular reference to the negotiations on agriculture and fisheries.

This brief discusses the application of voluntary sustainability standards in agriculture, fisheries and forestry trade.