How Can WTO Agriculture Negotiations Contribute to Global Food Security?

Nearly all WTO members identify food security as the central focus of an outcome of agriculture negotiations at the WTO’s Thirteenth Ministerial Conference (MC13). However, they have different views on how to achieve this outcome. For some, public stockholding and the special safeguard mechanism, together with domestic support and cotton, should be the key components. Others prefer to focus on transparency and better disciplines for agricultural export restrictions. Many others still believe market access for agricultural products can promote food security by increasing the availability and affordability of food.

As WTO members negotiate new rules for trade in food and agriculture, IISD is organising an informal dialogue with agriculture trade experts and trade negotiators on the sidelines of WTO MC13 to discuss what trade rules should be agreed to promote food security in its four dimensions: availability, access, utilisation, and stability. Speakers will seek to respond to the following question: Which of the seven issues on the negotiation agenda (domestic support, public stockholding, cotton, the special safeguard mechanism, market access, agricultural export restrictions, and export competition) have the highest potential to promote food security?