On Thursday 26^th April 2018, FAO Geneva held first dialogue of the series titled as “FAO Geneva Trade Talks” (FTT), which aims to provide Member States (MS) with an informal and conducive platform for interactive discussions on agriculture trade issues.

Consistent with FAO’s mandate on food security and agriculture, FAO Geneva has taken this initiative as part of its mandate to support MS in their effective engagement in formulation of trade agreements that are conducive to improved food security.

The FTT initiative will help MS, through their Geneva-based delegations, in strengthening evidence on the implications of changes in trade policies, provide capacity development in the use of this evidence, and facilitate neutral dialogue away from the negotiating table.

First dialogue of the FTT focused on “Trends in Agriculture Markets and Trade” and gathered around 70 representatives from MS and international Organizations.

In her Welcoming remarks, Ms. Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Director of FAO Geneva underlined that the FTT will provide a useful discussion platform for Member States and other stakeholders for reflection and new or additional evidence-based approaches that may aid in fresh proposals for engagement.

Mr. Holger Matthey, Economist at FAO gave a comprehensive presentation on Trends in Agriculture Markets and Trade. Mr. Matthey, who is leading the Medium-term Outlook and Market Analysis Team of the Trade and Markets Division at the FAO, underlined emerging trends/issues and their impact on global and domestic agricultural commodity markets. Mr. Matthey’s presentation outlined changing food demands across the globe, particularly increasing volume and caloric rise in Asia and Africa that will lead towards increased food imports in these regions. He also noted a relative slowdown in international food trade but composition of the importers and exporters, including traded items, will largely stay same over the next decade.

The discussion continued by an interactive discussion session which was moderated by Mr. Ahmad Mukhtar, Economist at FAO Geneva.

The FTT is based on a 3i principles:

• Informal: exchanging information, ideas and views without any attributions and reporting.
• Interactive: providing a neutral platform for dialogue and engagement among stakeholders.
• Inspirational: sharing knowledge and ideas for use in policy and negotiations accordingly.

Each session of the FTT will feature a presentation of the FAO’s knowledge and analysis on the topic in focus, followed by interactive discussion, questions and answers.

The topics for forthcoming FTTs are as follow:

1. Trade Facilitation for Agriculture
2. Agriculture Trade and Climate Change
3. Fisheries Subsidies
4. Agriculture Export Restrictions
5. Trade and Nutrition

FAO is also planning to launch the “FAO Geneva Fisheries Trade Talks”. Details will be shared in due course.