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From September 10 to 13, 2024, an SM5 delegation participated at the WTO Public Forum, where a number of important topics on agricultural negotiations were discussed. The event provided the opportunity to review the impacts of recent developments, including the failure of Brazil’s proposed work program and the challenges linked to sustainability and climate change.
Failure of the Brazilian Work Program
One of the major topics of discussion was the failure of the Brazilian work program, which aimed to achieve consensus at the WTO General Council in July 2024. This work program would have imposed a precise timetable to ensure progress in agricultural negotiations and to develop modalities for key issues in agricultural negotiations in anticipation of the upcoming Ministerial Conference in 2026. Despite the support of major powers such as the United States and the European Union, the program faced strong opposition, especially from India and the African group. India’s continued opposition, which is insisting on resolving the issues related to food security storage before engaging in discussions on other topics, continues to impede agricultural negotiations. This situation has prompted the Chair of the Committee in charge of agricultural negotiations to explore alternatives, such as the creation of working groups within the Special Session of the Committee on Agriculture (CoA SS) to address specific issues including market access and public stocks.
The agricultural negotiations have reached an impasse, with some key members, especially India, insisting on the resolution of issues relating to public stocks. This remains a major obstacle to progress in discussions. Despite this, some stakeholders see the forthcoming Ministerial Conference (MC14) as an opportunity to achieve meaningful results, particularly with regard to agriculture and food security—two critical issues for African countries. This remains a major obstacle to progress in the discussions.
Sustainability: A Central Focus, Yet Undefined
Sustainability was also at the forefront of discussions at the WTO Public Forum. Although the definition of sustainability remains somewhat unclear among WTO members, there seems to be a growing recognition of its importance in agricultural discussions, even though sustainability is not officially mentioned in the agenda of negotiations. The discussions have focused on the need to integrate environmental, inclusiveness and food security considerations into future negotiations. However, the lack of consensus on what constitutes sustainability is slowing down any real progress. This topic may prove instrumental in maintaining the commitment of members, while also addressing key issues such as market access and domestic support. The fact remains, however, that the combination of sustainability and food security could be a difficult issue for developing countries at present. It should be noted that the next Ministerial Conference (MC14) will take place in Cameroon, a country for whom agriculture and food security represent crucial challenges.
Future Uncertainties
The Cairns Group, which includes Canada, and the African group are planning to collaborate on a discussion paper that will propose negotiation modalities on key agricultural issues—an important development to closely monitor in the coming months.
Canada continues to play an active role in the discussions, even though the country is not currently leading any major initiatives. Its involvement is essential to addressing food security and sustainability issues in agricultural negotiations.
