The World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have highlighted the outcomes of their ongoing cooperation in addressing priorities set by WTO members. The collaboration was discussed in light of decisions made at the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) held in Geneva in June 2022, which included a focus on food insecurity and fisheries subsidies.
The FAO has provided expertise and data to support negotiations on fisheries subsidies, while both organizations are helping members implement the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies through the WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism.
Their partnership has led to several joint initiatives. One such example is the WTO Symposium on Trade and Nutrition held in December 2024, which examined links between global trade policies, food systems, and nutrition. This event was inspired by FAO’s State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report. The two organizations have also worked together to address the impact of pests like Jasside on cotton crops in West Africa, organized World Cotton Day 2024 in Cotonou, Benin, and contributed to the Cotton Development Assistance "Evolving Table," a key document for cotton development assistance within the WTO.
WTO Deputy Director-General Jean-Marie Paugam said: "I'm truly delighted with the WTO–FAO partnership. Our complementarity has already proven its value in the fisheries negotiations, and there is a huge potential for it to further support our work in agriculture and cotton. This collaboration delivers tangible, high-quality results for our members.”
FAO Chief Economist Máximo Torero stated: "Our partnership comes at a time of exceptional global challenges. Food insecurity remains high while climate extremes, conflicts, macroeconomic shocks and disruptions in supply chains increase uncertainty in global markets. Open agrifood trade and well-functioning commodity markets is not a luxury, it is a lifeline."
Both organizations plan to deepen their collaboration on agricultural negotiations as well as implementation of various WTO agreements such as those related to sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS) and technical barriers to trade (TBT), where FAO continues its role as an observer.