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TWN
Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Apr25/13) Geneva, 15 Apr (D. Ravi Kanth) — The chair of the World Trade Organization’s General Council (GC), Ambassador Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel of Saudi Arabia, has issued the modalities for a “WTO Retreat on Sustainable Agriculture in the Multilateral Trading System”, scheduled to take place at the WTO on 5-6 May, despite the pervading gloom surrounding the WTO’s future, said people familiar with the development. After the Trump administration announced its plan to impose reciprocal tariffs on WTO members, which is being paused for a period of 90 days, with all the bilateral negotiations having shifted to Washington DC, a “gloom and doom” environment appears to have taken root at the WTO, said several members, who asked not to be quoted. “In fact, the current reality is one of a “Washington Trade Organization” instead of the Geneva-based 166- member multilateral organization, as many countries are seemingly seeking lenient treatment from the Trump administration,” said a trade envoy who asked not to be quoted. Against this backdrop, the GC chair’s issuance of modalities for the retreat on sustainable agriculture, a proposal that Brazil has steadfastly struggled to bring to the center-stage since the WTO’s 13th ministerial conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi in March 2024, is being seen as another attempt to discuss issues even though there is an overall negotiating deficit at the WTO at this juncture, said people who asked not to be quoted. In a restricted paper (Job/GC/432) issued on 11 April, seen by the SUNS, the GC chair appears to have set the stage by suggesting that “with the global population expected to surpass 10 billion by [2050] and the increasing demand for food and resources, the intersection of trade and sustainable agriculture is essential to achieving global food and livelihood security, rural development, economic growth, and environmental resilience.” Given the complex challenges related “to climate change, resource scarcity, diverse policies, and shifting global dynamics, all of which impact food production, availability, and affordability – especially for vulnerable groups in LDCs, SIDCs, LLDCs, and NFIDCs,” the modalities paper underscored the need “for Members to collaborate in finding ways to promote agricultural sustainability while advancing economic development, social inclusion, and environmental goals.” It said credit goes to Brazil for proposing “a dialogue on sustainable agriculture, as a forum to explore how the multilateral trading system can better support agriculture and food systems that are both sustainable and resilient, while acknowledging the unique circumstances, existing/local practices, and shared concerns of Members regarding economic development, food and livelihood security, and environmental sustainability.” Brasilia called for “a forward-looking, general discussion under the auspices of the General Council”, and went on “to circulate a communication titled Dialogue on Sustainable Agriculture in the Multilateral Trading System (WT/GC/W/938) and held multiple consultations with Members at both the Heads of Delegation and technical levels to prepare for a retreat under the General Council’s auspices.” Several rounds of consultations were held on the Brazilian initiative on “sustainable agriculture in the multilateral trading system”. According to the GC chair’s paper, the key takeaways from these consultations are as follows: 1. There is value in facilitating a dialogue that fosters a shared understanding of sustainable agriculture within the trade context and explore how the WTO can contribute. This open dialogue should allow Members to freely express their views, enhancing their understanding without restricting topics. 2. The conceptual framework of sustainable agriculture must encompass all three pillars of sustainable development – economic, environmental, and social. Discussions should take into account diverse local circumstances and policy priorities, cautioning against a one-size-fits-all approach. 3. It is essential to integrate contributions from external experts, including international organizations, regional bodies, think tanks, the private sector, and relevant stakeholders such as farmers, to establish a solid foundation, particularly in shaping the conceptual framework for sustainable agriculture. 4. Areas of interest highlighted included: food security, including affordability and availability of food, better nutrition, livelihood security, rural development, support for small-scale farmers in meeting sustainability standards, the critical role of technology transfer and innovation in adopting climate-smart agriculture, and the enhancement of productive capacity. The importance of cooperation, technical assistance, capacity building, and financing was also emphasized, along with resilience in supply chains and value addition. Members also underscored the role of regulatory frameworks and sustainability standards as well as SPS and TBT measures, with some stressing the impact of unilateral trade-related environmental measures (TREMs) and environmentally harmful subsidies (EHS). 5. Efforts on sustainable agriculture should complement, not distract from, the core negotiations in the Committee on Agriculture – Special Session (CoA-SS) and avoid duplication of work across WTO bodies. 6. The retreat should focus on actionable outcomes and be forward-looking, without prejudging specific results or potential workstreams – which should be discussed after the retreat. The GC chair emphasized that the “retreat will offer a platform for open dialogue, experience sharing, collaborative problem-solving, and forward-thinking, starting with assessing the drivers and barriers to sustainable agriculture.” ARRANGEMENTS The retreat, which will last a day and a half, will start with a brief opening plenary session in the Council Room (at the WTO headquarters in Geneva) on 5 May morning. Subsequently, two scene-setting plenary meetings with external experts will follow on 5 May morning, “offering Members the opportunity to hear from and engage with external experts, focusing on the key tenets and foundational elements of sustainable agriculture.” During the first session, several international organizations and experts “will discuss key issues and share their perspectives, work, and projects related to sustainable agriculture.” According to the modalities paper, “the second session will feature other stakeholders, with contributions from experts from regional organizations, the private sector, and farmers’ groups.” After the scene-setting sessions, the chair said that members will “reflect and prepare for the breakout group discussions the following day.” On 6 May, the retreat will continue “at the level of Heads of Delegation (HoDs) only.” Subsequently, the chair suggested two breakout sessions for HoDs to assess “(i) the drivers and barriers of sustainable agriculture to develop a common understanding of the challenges and opportunities ahead; and (ii) generate actionable ideas for the WTO and identify concrete next steps for fostering further engagement on sustainable agriculture at the WTO.” The GC chair suggested that for the breakout sessions on 6 May, HoDs will be assigned to four fixed groups. He said the breakout sessions will be composed in an inclusive manner, ensuring broad representation across Members’ levels of development and geographical regions. He assured members that “as with previous retreats, this format is designed to foster frank, off-the-record, and off-script discussions, addressing the need for diverse viewpoints in larger groups while ensuring the conversations remain interactive.” Further, the GC chair said each breakout group will receive “the same set of guiding questions which have been drafted based on key points of interest raised during the consultations held by my predecessor in the Chair, Petter Olberg of Norway, and I, designed to promote a forward-looking approach.” During breakout session 1 on “assessing drivers and barriers to achieving sustainable agriculture,” members will be asked “what are the key drivers and barriers to achieve sustainable agriculture?” The second question posed to members is what ought to be the WTO’s role in fostering sustainable agriculture and the next steps to be taken in this regard, the GC chair suggested. +
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