WTO agriculture negotiations on domestic support: making new rules work for LDCs and other vulnerable economies

As WTO members resume agriculture negotiations after MC13, IISD and IFPRI organized a webinar to bring insights from the research community on: (i) how to advance the negotiations on domestic support ahead of MC14 in Cameroon; and (ii) how WTO rules on domestic support could benefit LDCs and other vulnerable economies.

During the webinar, agriculture experts dissected the most recent proposals on domestic support by the African Group and Pakistan, the Cairns Group and Ukraine, and India to identify: (i) areas of possible convergence on domestic support ahead of MC14 in Cameroon; and (ii) how new WTO rules on domestic support could be designed to be of most benefit to LDCs and other vulnerable economies.

Agenda

1:30 - 1:35 pm. Welcoming remarks. Overview of WTO agriculture negotiations on domestic support.

• Alice Tipping, IISD.

1:35 - 1:50 pm. The perspective of the LDCs and other vulnerable economies.

• Omar Cisse, Permanent Mission of Senegal to the WTO. What are the priorities of the LDC Group in the WTO agriculture negotiations on domestic support?
• Tyesha Turner, Permanent Mission of Jamaica to the WTO. What are the priorities of the NFIDCs and SIDS in the WTO agriculture negotiations on domestic support?

1:50 - 2:20 pm. Flexibilities for LDCs and other vulnerable economies.

• David Laborde, FAO. What changes in WTO rules on domestic support could benefit LDCs and other vulnerable economies the most?
• Joe Glauber, IFPRI. What changes in WTO rules on public stockholding could benefit LDCs and other vulnerable economies the most?

2:20 - 2:35 pm. Finding convergence on domestic support ahead of MC14 in Cameroon.

• Lars Brink, Agriculture trade expert. Possible areas of convergence in the most recent proposals on domestic support by the African Group and Pakistan, the Cairns Group and Ukraine, and India.

2:35 - 2:50 pm. Q&A.

2:50 - 2:55 pm. Wrap-up and conclusions.

• Alice Tipping, IISD. 

Useful references

• JOB/AG/242/Rev.1 - African Group and Pakistan’s proposal on domestic support.
• JOB/AG/243/Rev.2 - Cairns Group and Ukraine’s proposal on domestic support (based on Costa Rica’s proposal on domestic support JOB/AG/243)
• JOB/AG/216/Rev.1 - India’s proposal on domestic support.

Webinar organized with the support from the Government of Sweden.