Drawing attention to how political conflicts, value chain disruptions, and mounting inflation are compromising food security in developing economies, a session entitled “Strengthening food security through trade” explored how the international trade community can act to enhance access to safe, nutritious, and affordable food. Special emphasis was placed on helping small farmers gain more from trade by boosting their productivity and amplifying their voices in international fora. The importance of multi-stakeholder cooperation was also highlighted, notably public-private partnerships.
Speaking as the coordinating economy of the WTO African Group, Chad's Minister of Trade and Industry, Mathieu Guibolo Fanga, spoke about the importance of agriculture in African economies for job creation and poverty alleviation. “Within the multilateral trading system, we seek to benefit more fully from the advantages that African countries possess in the agricultural sector,” he said, placing particular emphasis on productive capacity. “Advancing agricultural multilateral negotiations at the WTO will also be paramount to establishing fair conditions for international trade in agricultural products.”
Minister Fanga also underlined the challenge arising from climate change. “The disruption of supply chains and expected continued shortages in food supply due to climate change call for urgent action to alleviate food insecurity in Africa,” he said. Building resilience to future food crises will require tailored technical assistance and training to build trade capacities, as well as trade financing to boost production and competitiveness.
Cameroon's Minister of Trade, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, said that WTO rules and disciplines provide a basis for meeting food security goals but that more needs to be done. Greater political awareness needs to be raised regarding the challenges associated with food security, he stressed.
Underscoring the importance of the Aid for Trade initiative, Minister Atangana called for shifting the initiative more towards boosting productivity in developing economies with a focus on research related to climate mitigation and on the availability of inputs such as seeds and fertilizers for poor countries. “To achieve food security goals, it will be essential for the WTO to pool its efforts with other specialized international organizations such as the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme and the World Bank,” Minister Atangana stressed.
Recalling the need for food security to meet United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, FAO Director-General Dongyu Qu called for building “efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems” with improved related trade practices. “This must come with increased investments in rural infrastructure — including road, energy and broadband — and an improved inclusive market access,” Mr. Qu said.
With the world population expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, “we need to increase food production by at least 30 – 40 percent while minimizing the negative impact on the environment,” he noted. This means “less natural resources consumed such as water and land, and less agricultural input such as seeds, chemicals and fertilizers.”
Sachin Sharma from India's Centre for WTO Studies shared insights from India's experience while Susan Ndung’u from Farm Input Promotions Africa provided a private sector perspective.
Small Business Champions
The WTO's Informal Working Group on Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) announced two winners of the Small Business Champions Competition to mark "MSME Day" on June 27th. The Group also welcomed Mauritius as its 103rd member.
One winner is CLAC (Latin American and Caribbean Network of Fairtrade Small Producers and Workers) of El Salvador. The network represents 1,000 Fairtrade certified organizations across 24 economies in Latin America and the Caribbean. The winning project will survey existing products that can benefit indigenous producers in Latin America while providing training and technical advice to help them identify international markets.
The second winner is O'KANATA of Canada. This organization focuses on empowering indigenous youth through an e-commerce platform offering a marketplace for indigenous crafts alongside capacity-building initiatives for entrepreneurs.
The 2024 edition of the Small Business Champions Competition was held under the theme "Empowering Indigenous Peoples' Economic Development through International Trade." It was jointly organized by MSMEs Informal Working Group along with ITC (International Trade Centre), ICC (International Chamber of Commerce), WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization).
During an award ceremony attended by Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who emphasized inclusiveness fostered by WTO’s work; ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton; WIPO Director General Darren Tang; ICC Secretary General John Denton participated too.
Earlier this week saw issuance two research notes by WTO Secretariat: one overviewing MSME demographics & engagement challenges faced internationally; another reviewing digital technology usage/digitalization concerning global commerce—both drawing data Meta’s March '22 Future Business Survey.