WTO Opens Second Call for Fish Fund Grants to Support Fisheries Subsidy Reforms

Eligible WTO members now have until 8 May 2026 to submit grant proposals under the WTO Fish Fund's second Call for Proposal, following an extension of the original deadline.

· New Deadline: Extended to 8 May 2026 for the second Call for Proposals.

· Eligibility: Open to all developing and least-developed WTO members that have accepted the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.

· Grant Types:

o Preparation grants – up to USD 50,000 for needs assessments.

o Project grants – up to USD 300,000 for implementing specific provisions.

· First Call Outcome: In November 2025, 26 project grants approved, totaling nearly USD 3 million.

· Membership Update: With Paraguay, Samoa, and Saint Vincent & the Grenadines joining on 26 March, 119 WTO members have now formally accepted the Agreement.

· Fund Structure: Established under Article 7 of the Agreement; managed by WTO in cooperation with FAO, IFAD, and World Bank Group.

· Funding Contributions: CHF 15.7 million (~USD 20 million) pledged by 18 members, including Australia, EU, Japan, Korea, UAE, UK, and others.

[ABS News Service/16.04.2026]

The second Call for Proposals opened on 2 February 2026 and is open to all developing and least-developed WTO members that have deposited their instruments of acceptance of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. The application portal for project proposals is available here. 

Two types of grants are available: project preparation grants of up to USD 50,000 to support needs assessments ahead of implementation of the Agreement, and project grants of up to USD 300,000 to implement specific provisions of the Agreement. 

Following the first Call for Proposals, the Fish Fund Steering Committee approved 26 requests for project grants in November 2025 totalling close to USD 3 million. More information on the approved grants can be found here. 

With the deposit of instruments of acceptance by Paraguay, Samoa, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 26 March, 119 WTO members have now formally accepted the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.

The Fish Fund was established under Article 7 of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies to provide targeted technical assistance and capacity-building to help developing and least-developed country members implement the Agreement. Housed at the WTO, the Fund operates in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Bank Group.

To date, total contributions and commitments to the WTO Fish Fund from 18 members have reached CHF 15.7 million, equivalent to more than USD 20 million. The contributing members are Australia, Canada, the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.