GENEVA, Switzerland – Timor-Leste joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) on 30 August as its 166th member, after seven and a half years of negotiating its accession terms with WTO members. It is the 11th least-developed country (LDC) to accede to the WTO since the organization’s establishment in 1995. Timor-Leste also announced its formal acceptance of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.
Deputy prime minister Francisco Kalbuadi Lay of Timor-Leste handed to WTO director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala the instrument of acceptance of its Protocol of Accession at a meeting of the General Council on 22 July 2024.
At the request of Timor-Leste, the formal deposit of the Protocol of Accession was dated 31 July so that the 30-day countdown to become a member would end on 30 August.
WTO director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said:
“I am excited to welcome Timor-Leste as a new WTO member, soon after Comoros,” which became the 165th member on 21 August 2024.
“I congratulate the government and people of Timor-Leste on this achievement on this historical day as the country is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the 1999 referendum paving the way for its independence,” the director-general said. “WTO membership can help realize the potential of Timor-Leste as it seeks to diversify its economy. It also complements the country’s efforts to join ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations).”
The director-general also noted:
“Addition of two new members to the WTO family serves as a vote of confidence in the WTO and its core values of openness, transparency, good governance and the rule of law. The Secretariat will accompany both LDCs on their membership journeys to help realize the benefits from their accession negotiations.”
WTO members officially approved the WTO accession of Timor-Leste during a special ceremony at the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi on 26 February.
Timor-Leste applied for WTO membership on 7 April 2015, and the Working Party was established on 7 December 2016. Members of the Working Party concluded the negotiations on 11 January 2024. Following approval by WTO members at MC13, the National Parliament of Timor-Leste approved the Protocol of Accession on 3 June 2024.
Timor-Leste also approved the Fisheries Subsidies Agreement on 10 July 2024, and handed over the instrument of acceptance at the same time as that of its Accession Protocol, bringing the total number of acceptances of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies to 83.
The list of Timor-Leste’s commitments is available here. Twenty-two governments are still negotiating their WTO accession. The full list of WTO observers can be found here.
Fisheries Subsidies Agreement
Adopted by consensus at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12), held in Geneva on 12-17 June 2022, the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies sets new binding, multilateral rules to curb harmful subsidies, which are a key factor in the widespread depletion of the world’s fish stocks.
For the Agreement to enter into force, two-thirds of WTO members must formally accept the Protocol of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies by depositing an instrument of acceptance with the WTO.
The Agreement recognizes the needs of developing and LDCs, and establishes a Fund to provide technical assistance and capacity-building to help them implement the Agreement.
The Agreement prohibits subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, for fishing overfished stocks, and for fishing on the unregulated high seas.
Members also agreed at MC12 to continue negotiations on outstanding issues, with a view to adopting additional provisions that would further enhance the disciplines of the Agreement.
The full text of the Agreement can be accessed here. The list of members that have deposited their instruments of acceptance is available here. Information for members on how to accept the Protocol of Amendment is available here.
