This page provides comprehensive information on WCPFC's implementation of Article 30 of the Convention relating to the Special Requirements of Developing States.
Official Text of Article 30 of the WCPF Convention
PART VIII – Requirements of Developing States
Article 30 Recognition of the special requirements of developing States
1. The Commission shall give full recognition to the special requirements of developing States Parties to this Convention, in particular small island developing States, and of territories and possessions, in relation to conservation and management of highly migratory fish stocks in the Convention Area and development of fisheries for such stocks.
2. In giving effect to the duty to cooperate in the establishment of conservation and management measures for highly migratory fish stocks, the Commission shall take into account the special requirements of developing States Parties, in particular small island developing States, and of territories and possessions, in particular:
(a) the vulnerability of developing States Parties, in particular small island developing States, which are dependent on the exploitation of marine living resources, including for meeting the nutritional requirements of their populations or parts thereof;
(b) the need to avoid adverse impacts on, and ensure access to fisheries by, subsistence, small-scale and artisanal fishers and fishworkers, as well as indigenous people in developing States Parties, particularly small island developing States Parties, and territories and possessions; and
(c) the need to ensure that such measures do not result in transferring, directly or indirectly, a disproportionate burden of conservation action onto developing States Parties, and territories and possessions.
3. The Commission shall establish a fund to facilitate the effective participation of developing States Parties, particularly small island developing States, and, where appropriate, territories and possessions, in the work of the Commission, including its meetings and those of its subsidiary bodies. The financial regulations of the Commission shall include guidelines for the administration of the fund and criteria for eligibility for assistance.
4. Cooperation with developing States, and territories and possessions, for the purposes set out in this article may include the provision of financial assistance, assistance relating to human resources development, technical assistance, transfer of technology, including through joint venture arrangements, and advisory and consultative services. Such assistance shall, inter alia, be directed towards:
(a) improved conservation and management of highly migratory fish stocks through collection, reporting, verification, exchange and analysis of fisheries data and related information;
(b) stock assessment and scientific research; and
(c) monitoring, control, surveillance, compliance and enforcement, including training and capacity-building at the local level, development and funding of national and regional observer programmes and access to technology and equipment.
The WCPFC membership is comprised of 14 Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and seven Territories whose exclusive economic zones (EEZs) are situated in the WCPF Convention Area. This geographic reality makes the WCPFC unique among other tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (tRFMOs) and necessitates special recognition within the WCPFC management framework for the social and economic circumstances of SIDS and Territories whose livelihoods and economies are highly dependent on the fisheries resources managed by WCPFC.
Article 30 of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Convention reflects the need for the Commission to fully recognize and support the special needs of developing States, especially SIDS and Territories, in managing and developing fisheries for highly migratory fish stocks in the region.
Article 30 emphasizes the importance of protecting access to fisheries for subsistence, small-scale, and indigenous fishers, and ensuring that conservation measures do not harm or disadvantage them. The Article also makes clear that SIDS and Territories should not be asked to carry a disproportionate share of the burden when implementing conservation actions.
To further operationalise Article 30 and its intent, the Commission established a fund to support the effective participation of SIDS and Territories in the work of WCPFC, known as the Special Requirements Fund (SRF). The SRF is supported through voluntary contributions from Members and stakeholders and supports activities such as data collection, scientific research, and enforcement activities in SIDS and Territories. Further information is available, below.
Conservation and Management Measure on the Special Requirements of SIDS and Territories
In December 2013, the Commission adopted a conservation and management measure on the special requirements of Small Island Developing States and Territories (CMM 2013-07). This measure identifies priority areas related to the recognition of the special requirements of small island developing States and Territories, including:
Capacity Development of Personnel
Technology transfer
Fisheries conservation and management
Monitoring, Control & Surveillance
Support for the Domestic Fisheries Sector and Tuna-Related Businesses
Market Access
Each year, Members, Cooperating Non-Members, and Participating Territories (CCMs) are required to provide a report on the implementation of CMM 2013-07. That report is submitted through Annual Report Part 2.
Strategic Investment Plan
In 2018, the Commission adopted a Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) with the purpose of guiding resources appropriately toward priority needs identified by SIDS and Territories through various WCPFC processes. Each year, the Commission reviews its actions undertaken through the SIP to ensure that its financing and capacity building mechanisms are meeting stated needs.
At present, the Commission has agreed to fund the SRF at a base level of USD150,000 to support implementation of the SIP and other needs as identified by developing States Parties to WCPFC, particularly SIDS and Territories.
SIPs adopted by the Commission since 2018 are linked in the table, below.
WCPFC Strategic Investment Plans (Adopted) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
Funding Options to Support Developing States
Developing States, especially SIDS and Territories, can access various funding sources administered by the Commission. Click on the headers below to learn more about the funding source, eligibility for access, and the application process.
Special Requirements Fund
Established under Article 30 of the WCPF Convention, the Special Requirements Fund (SRF) supports developing States (especially SIDS and territories) with participation in WCPFC meetings and related activities. Activities to be funded by the SRF are governed by Regulation 7 of the WCPFC Financial Regulations.
Financial Regulation 7:
- Human Resources Development, Technical Assistance and Technology Transfer
- Training, hiring consultants or experts, and providing equipment so SIDS can manage fisheries data and conservation. - Capacity Building
- Support key areas like:
• Exercising flag State responsibilities
• Monitoring, Control & Surveillance (MCS)
• Data collection and scientific research
How to Apply
- Use the format in Appendix A of the “Principles, Guidelines and Operational Procedures for the Commission’s SRF” document. Only proposals in that Appendix A format will be considered.
Notifications on Available Funds
- The Executive Director reports SRF balance each year at the Annual Session.
- Invitations to apply remain open until funds are used up for that financial year.
- Members are notified when SRF falls below 50% and 25% of the advised available amount (or when new contributions arrive).
Explore Further
Japan Trust Fund
The Japan Trust Fund (JTF), established by Japan in 2007, supports small island developing states (SIDS) in the Western and Central Pacific through capacity-building in fisheries management. It has operated in three phases: Phase 1 (2007–2011) built foundations in fisheries data, regulation, and enforcement; Phase 2 (2012–2016, extended through 2018) emphasized compliance and enforcement; and Phase 3 (2019–2023) advanced work on harvest strategies and electronic monitoring. Across all phases, the core purpose has been consistent with Article 30 of the WCPFC Convention: enabling developing states to effectively participate in the Commission’s work by strengthening fisheries data collection, regulatory systems, and enforcement of conservation measures.
The fund is administered by the WCPFC Secretariat with oversight from a Steering Committee, financed solely by Japan as an extra-budgetary contribution. Annual calls for proposals allow developing members and territories to seek project funding, with awards typically ranging from USD 30,000 to 50,000 per project and annual funding of around USD 200,000. Supported projects include national databases, observer training, port sampling, electronic monitoring, and legal reforms.
Chinese Taipei Trust Fund
The Chinese Taipei Trust Fund (CTTF) was created in 2015 after Chinese Taipei pledged USD 2 million over five years to support the special requirements of small island developing states (SIDS) under Article 30 of the WCPFC Convention and CMM 2013-07. The fund’s main goal is to strengthen SIDS’ fisheries monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS) capacity, helping them enforce regulations, improve data collection, and manage their tuna industries sustainably. Projects supported by the CTTF include MCS training workshops, observer and patrol training, upgrades to vessel monitoring systems, development of fisheries management plans, and technical assistance to meet WCPFC obligations.
The fund is managed by the WCPFC Secretariat through a Steering Committee, with proposals invited via formal calls and assessed for alignment with capacity-building needs. While initially set to operate 2015–2019, funds have been disbursed gradually, leaving an unspent balance of about USD 192,000 as of 2024.
West Pacific East Asia Sustainable Pacific Fisheries
Background
Since 2009, WCPFC has coordinated the West Pacific East Asia Sustainable Pacific Fisheries (WPEA SPF) Project that has provided capacity assistance to Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
The WPEA SPF project was initiated under the UN Development Programme-Global Environment Facility (GEF) to bring Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam into full, effective participation in WCPFC, broadening regional coverage and strengthening the Commission by removing barriers to their engagement through improved scientific information and capacity for monitoring, regulation, and control. Designed to complement work in the central and eastern WCPO, it “completes the circle” by ensuring all key coastal States are active players in Commission processes.
Eastern Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam sit on the western edge of the WCPO warm pool, part of the Coral Triangle, and together take more than a quarter of the region’s oceanic tuna catch, making the area biologically and economically pivotal. Yet sustainability is threatened by major information gaps (uncertain total catches, weak species/gear/size/area detail, and little operational data), limited national capacity to analyze stock status, incomplete governance and legal frameworks to implement the WCPFC Convention, and persistent IUU risks.
The WCPFC Scientific Committee flagged Indonesia–Philippines data gaps as the single largest source of uncertainty in WCPO stock assessments. In response, the project proposes to strengthen integrated national monitoring (port sampling, logsheets, observers), build scientific capacity, and support legal and institutional reforms so the three countries can fully participate in WCPFC processes, complementing the Pacific Islands OFM project and “completing the circle” of regional cooperation.
These three countries are indispensable to robust data collection because they account for a major share of the WCPO tuna catch, about 26% (≈700,000 mt in 2006), so any gaps would materially weaken regional science. Monitoring is also uniquely hard in these fisheries: multi-gear fleets land at numerous sites and include extensive, widely distributed small-scale sectors, especially in the two large archipelagic States (Indonesia and the Philippines). Biologically, the area may be a key spawning and recruitment source for the wider WCPO, heightening the value of complete, high-quality data.
Reflecting this, WCPFC’s Scientific Committee has repeatedly flagged incomplete catch, effort, and biological data, particularly for Indonesia and the Philippines, as the single largest source of uncertainty in regional stock assessments, which the project directly targets.
Project Goal
The project tackles the core problem of major gaps in catch, effort, and biological data by installing integrated national monitoring programs in each country that combine port sampling, landings, logsheet (operational) data, and, where feasible, observer coverage.
It tailors the roll-out to each national context of the partner countries to ensure relevance and support at local level. To convert better data into better science and management, the project steadily feeds national monitoring outputs into WCPFC regional stock assessments, while delivering training in data quality control and basic analysis, running collaborative tuna tagging to fill key biological parameters, and funding National Tuna Coordinators (Indonesia, Vietnam) to coordinate submissions and annual reports. In parallel, it strengthens laws, policies, and institutions so the three countries can implement WCPFC obligations and related instruments (UN Fish Stocks Agreement, FAO Code) and participate actively in regional decision-making—reducing assessment uncertainty and embedding an ecosystem-based approach across monitoring, regulation, and control.
Current Project Status
In 2024, the WPEA project was renewed for an additional phase referred to as Improved Tuna Monitoring (ITM), to continue until 2027.
Activities are structured around three outputs: (1) partnerships and collaboration—supporting country engagement in WCPFC processes and coordinating with SPF partners; (2) improved fisheries management and MCS&E capability—through combined trainings, attachments, and a train-the-trainer approach; and (3) improved observer and port data collection and management—strengthening systems and practice at the national level.
Delivery relies on WCPFC technical advice, country sub-grants, and project coordination (including SPC engagement), under a governance structure that includes WCPFC meetings (SC, TCC, Commission), an SPF Advisory Group, and a WPEA-SPF Working Group.
WPEA Project Funding
| Phase | Years | Main Funder | Amount (USD) |
| WPEA-OFM (Phase 1) | 2009-2012 | GEF (via UNDP) | $ 925,000 |
| WPEA-SM (Phase 2) | 2015-2019 | GEF (via UNDP) | $ 2,230,000 |
| WPEA-ITM (Phase 3) | 2017-2024 | New Zealand (MFAT) | $ 3,350,000 |
| WPEA-SPF (Phase 4) | 2024-2027 | New Zealand (MFAT) | $ 2,700,000 |
Capacity Development Plan
The Compliance Monitoring Scheme (CMS) assesses each member’s performance against their obligations each year. Where a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), a Participating Territory, Indonesia, or Philippines cannot meet a particular obligation and this is due to a lack of capacity or need for additional support, that member must submit a Capacity Development Plan (CDP). The CDP is then included in the Strategic Investment Plan where available support under the WCPFC framework can be targeted to meet the needs identified in the CDP.
What Goes Into a Capacity Development Plan?
- Identify the gap: Explain clearly what is preventing the member (CCM) from meeting the obligation.
- Specify needed assistance: Describe exactly what training, technical help, equipment, or funding is required.
Estimate costs & resources: Provide cost estimates and potential funding/technical assistance sources.
Set a timeline: Indicate when, if the identified assistance is delivered, the CCM expects to meet the obligation.
SIDS Impact Checklist
CMM 2013-06 is the “Conservation and Management Measure on the criteria for consideration of conservation and management proposals.” Adopted by the Commission in December 2013, the measure sets out a checklist of questions to evaluate any new proposal’s impact on SIDS and territories in the Convention Area (see para 3 of CMM).
Purpose
- Ensures all new proposals are evaluated for how they could affect vulnerable developing States, especially SIDS and Territories, before the new proposals are adopted. This helps to inform whether additional support or capacity building might be required before a new measure takes effect.