8^th Geneva Roundtable on Trade-related Issues

Commodity-specific trade issues and the implications of possible modalities for commitments in the context of the

WTO negotiations on agriculture

Room XI

Palais des Nations
Geneva, Switzerland

8 November 2002

I. INTRODUCTION

Article 20 of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture, which provides the basis for the current multilateral negotiations on agriculture, mandates that the reform process in agriculture shall be continued, taking into account:

• the experience from implementing the reduction commitments;

• the effects of the reduction commitments on world trade in agriculture;

• non-trade concerns, special and differential treatment to developing country Members, the objective to establish a fair and market-oriented agricultural trading system; and other objectives and concerns mentioned in the Agreement; and

• what further commitments are necessary to achieve the above-mentioned long-term objectives.

The negotiations on agriculture, which began in March 2000, were subsumed in a broader round of multilateral trade negotiations launched by the WTO at its Fourth Ministerial Conference held in Doha, Qatar, in November 2001. The negotiations will consider agriculture as part of a “single undertaking”, and the negotiations are scheduled to conclude not later than 1 January 2005. Modalities for further commitments on agriculture are to be established no later than 31 March 2003 and comprehensive draft Schedules based on these modalities submitted no later than the date of the Fifth Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference to be held in September 2003 in Cancun, Mexico.

The purpose of this Roundtable is to review developments and trends in agricultural commodity markets and to analyse the implications for commodity-specific markets of possible modalities for commitments in the areas of domestic support, market access and export competition.

II. EXPECTED PARTICIPANTS

• Government Representatives concerned with the ongoing WTO negotiations on agriculture

• Agricultural trade experts from relevant regional institutions and international organizations

• Commodity organizations

• Selected international experts/resource persons

• Non-governmental organisations

III. PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME

Room XI, Palais des Nations
8 November 2002

Opening:

09:30 – 09:45

Introduction and welcome remarks

Session I

09:45 – 12:30

Recent trends and policy developments (e.g. trade, production and price trends; market structure, value addition and the distribution of the gains from trade) affecting selected agricultural commodities (grains, livestock products, oilseeds/oils, horticultural products, tropical beverages and agricultural raw materials)

Panellists: FAO

OECD

IMF

UNCTAD

World Bank

Selected international commodity organizations (grains, sugar, cotton, coffee)

Discussion

Lunch break:

12:30 – 14:30

Session II:

14:30 – 17:30

Implications for specific commodity markets of possible modalities for commitments in the areas of domestic support, market access and export competition

Panellists: FAO

UNCTAD

OECD

Etc.

Discussion

Reception at the Escargot Bar, Palais des Nations:

17:30