The Chair of the World Trade Organization (WTO) has urged members to chart a new course for agriculture negotiations. Recent efforts to gain support for a facilitator-led process have not achieved consensus among members. The Chair emphasized three considerations for moving forward: initiating discussions on topics of interest, maintaining overall balance in negotiations, and ensuring inclusivity by updating the committee regularly.
Members are encouraged to engage substantively with one another, following examples set by the African and Cairns Groups. "2024 has been a year of discussing the process, 2025 should be a year of substance," he stated.
The African Group and Cairns Group reported progress in their informal discussions aimed at creating a "modalities package across all agriculture topics." Their goal is to submit a document for consideration ahead of MC14 in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Discussions focused on domestic support for agriculture, including capping trade-distorting support and establishing new flexibilities for non-exporters.
Both groups are addressing issues some developing countries face under WTO rules when buying food at government-set prices for public stocks. Talks on other agricultural negotiating topics have yet to make significant progress. The groups expressed readiness to collaborate with other WTO members before MC14.
Several group members, including Cameroon, reaffirmed their commitment to achieving tangible outcomes on agriculture by the Ministerial Conference. They highlighted the importance of collaboration and building confidence through good faith engagement.
Guyana presented a new proposal on December 3rd outlining pathways towards advancing agricultural negotiations ahead of MC14. It emphasizes text-based negotiations within existing sessions focusing on food bought at administered prices, a special safeguard mechanism, and cotton. The proposal also suggests drafting texts on market access and export-related matters using members' proposals as bases.
Several members welcomed Guyana's submission as valuable and expressed openness to engaging with it and others to develop a practical framework. Some requested clarifications on certain elements of Guyana's proposal.
Developing members stressed prioritizing public stockholding, the special safeguard mechanism, and cotton due to past decisions. A joint communication from India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan circulated on November 4th supported this view. Members referred to Article 20 of the Agreement on Agriculture regarding continuing reform processes.
Similar views were shared during dedicated sessions convened by the chair on public stockholding and the special safeguard mechanism. Proponents reiterated delivering outcomes by MC14 while others highlighted interconnectedness with other negotiating issues.
Following the Chair's call, several members advocated resuming substantive negotiations in 2025 through member-led initiatives like those initiated by the African and Cairns Groups.