Regional Network of Experts on Agriculture Trade (RNE-AT)
Communiqué- Agriculture Trade for Food Security
Cairo, 26 September 2022
We, members of the Regional Network of Experts on Agriculture Trade (RNE-AT)1;
Recognizing the food security challenges being faced by countries in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region;
Recognizing the importance of improving agricultural production, productivity and infrastructure, open and predictable agricultural markets and trade to mitigate multifaceted short and long-term risks and achieving regional food security, and unlocking the agricultural potential of NENA countries;
Recognizing the work of the concerned international organizations in facilitating global food security and creating more sustainable food systems;
Noting that in the Arab region, moderate or severe food insecurity has continued its rising trend, affecting an estimated 154.3 million people in 2021. This is 11.6 million people more than in the previous year. The numbers of food insecure people have been rising steadily since 2014. Thus, in 2021 an estimated 34.7 percent of the region’s population was moderately or severely food insecure and were deprived of regular access to sufficient and nutritious food in 2021;
Recognizing the importance of maintaining open and predictable agricultural markets and trade to ensure the continued flow of food, as well as products, services and inputs essential for agricultural and food production and supply chains should be kept as a prime focus. There is an important contribution of the international organizations such as the FAO, WTO, UNCTAD, ITC, and others, to enhance and promote the countries efforts on multilateral bases of cooperation;
Highlighting the adverse and disproportionate impact of climate change, conflicts and calamities, and other factors on the already stressed agricultural resources especially fresh water resources in the NENA region;
The Network provides a neutral and independent platform for, i) knowledge and experience exchange on agricultural trade and related issues affecting NENA countries, ii) enhancing the quality and relevance of agricultural trade research and strengthen collaboration among experts for analysis, capacity development and other initiatives in the NENA region, iii) strengthening the capacities to provide technical advice and policy recommendations to governments and the private sector, and iv) improving communication and information sharing on agriculture trade policy issues with the wider community.
Emphasizing that Arab Governments are committed to promoting and boosting intra-regional trade in agricultural commodities as envisioned in the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA);
Noting the recent food supply chains challenges due to increasing prices, including for agriculture inputs especially fertilizers, logistics challenges and Black Sea crisis;
Noting the evolution of global agricultural landscape in recent decades and the importance of transparent implementation of safety measures for food, animal and plants, in accordance with the WTO Agreement on SPS;
Underscoring the importance of technological advancements, growth and innovation in agricultural production spheres and their role in safeguarding food security against trade disruptions and fluctuating prices and food supplies across Member States;
Recognizing the need for a fair, equitable and market-oriented agriculture trading systems that would promote sustainability and food security; resorting to reliable agriculture market information systems;
Encouraging the facilitation of technical assistance and capacity building whenever possible to enhance knowledge, skills, and abilities in agrifood sectors across the region.
Call upon the FAO member countries to:
- Mainstream, and develop institutional capacities for fostering the resilient agrifood systems and strengthening the role of regional trade as urgent and vital enablers for food security and nutrition for all countries all over the world especially in the light of the region’s high dependency on trade to achieve food security for their population2.
- Deploy efforts towards enhancing agriculture, production, productivity and facilitating trade, particularly between countries of the region; Facilitating trade and improving the functioning and resilience of global markets for food and agriculture, particularly for vital commodities such as cereals, fertilizers, and other agriculture production inputs are key, as outlined in the WTO Ministerial Declaration on the Emergency Response to Food Security.
- Develop a dedicated work programme in the WTO Committee on Agriculture to examine how the Marrakesh Decision on Measures Concerning the Possible Negative Effects of the Reform Programme on Least-Developed and Net Food-Importing Developing Countries could be made more effective and operational;
- Call for WTO negotiations to secure the reforms that are needed for a fair and a level playing field in global agricultural markets.
- Enhance efforts, including building capacities, towards harmonization of trade-related rules norms and standard-setting for food safety and on value chains infrastructure (such as storage facilities, cooling facilities, banking infrastructure and insurance infrastructure) to increase access and reduce inequality;
- Ensure coherence and complementarity between trade, agriculture and nutrition policies;
- Develop and exercise common and evidence-based regional position for negotiations on agriculture;
- Develop regional mechanisms within the framework of Regional Free Trade Agreements that guarantee the ease of agriculture products exchange within times of crises and would encourage regional collaborations to achieve food security as a long term goal;
- Restrain from taking unnecessary measures with protectionist and trade distorting effects particularly for LDCs and Net Food Importing Developing countries, and do not apply export prohibitions or restrictions that are inconsistent with relevant WTO disciplines;
- Strive towards adopting inspections and licensing processes that are more flexible and helpful in minimizing supply disruptions and reduce trade costs between countries of the region, while ensuring the appropriate levels of food safety;
- Ensure transparency in food and agriculture markets, including through mechanisms such as the Agriculture Market Information System (AMIS) (for participating countries) and timely submission of WTO notifications and making the best use of current technological information sharing platforms;
- Enhance efforts towards transforming agrifood systems to make these more efficient, sustainable, inclusive and resilient;
- Providing enabling policy and operating infrastructure for enhancing the role of youth and women in agrifood systems;
- Work together to help ensure that sufficient, safe, affordable and nutritious food continues to be available and accessible at all times to all people, including the poorest, the most vulnerable, and displaced people;
The RNE-AT members assure their fullest contribution towards above-mentioned points through knowledge and information exchange in their respective domains. All the contributions of RNE-AT will be within the framework of national and international treaties, laws, regulations and practices.