The coordinator’s revised report, released on 19 October, covers four thematic areas (outlined in document G/AG/35): access to international food markets, financing of food imports, agricultural and production resilience of LDCs and NFIDCs, and horizontal, cross-cutting issues. The coordinator noted that the revised report takes on board members’ recent comments and includes a summary of all discussions over the last 15 months under the work programme. Furthermore, the “findings and recommendations” in the revised report have been streamlined.
The coordinator reminded members that food security is a complex, multifaceted challenge and the WTO could catalyse domestic and international efforts to tackle this challenge. Noting the revised report already takes into account members’ various suggestions, he urged them to refrain from proposing multiple changes in order to maintain the delicate balance of the report.
Members broadly supported the revised report, with several of them supporting the coordinator’s call to exercise restraint in seeking to make changes to it. In response to the request by a few members to introduce further changes, some members again underlined that the recommendations from the working group should be aligned with the work of the Committee on Agriculture and not encroach on the work of the Committee charged with conducting agriculture negotiations. A few members also made specific drafting suggestions, with a view to achieving balance across different topics covered by the report.
Next steps
Mr Tysdal said he will undertake a further revision of the report in the coming days, taking into account the discussions at the meeting. He informed members that the final meeting of the working group is scheduled for 13 November, during which the group is expected to finalize its report and recommendations for onward transmission to the Committee on Agriculture for approval. The Committee on Agriculture is set to meet on 27-29 November.
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