On December 1, the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) formalized an agreement to expand their collaboration on issues related to food and agricultural trade and climate change. This development comes amid escalating challenges to global food security and sustainable agriculture.
The agreement was solidified through a Framework Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed by WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu at the 28th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai. This MoU outlines shared interests and aims to enhance the organizations’ collaboration in these fields.
The MoU aims to build upon and formalize the existing partnership between the WTO and FAO, providing a structured basis for future cooperative efforts.
Under this agreement, the two bodies will intensify their cooperation across 17 specified areas. These include supporting WTO negotiations on agricultural reform, implementing the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies established at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference, and co-hosting World Cotton Day annually on October 7. Additionally, the MoU emphasizes enhancing FAO’s support to the WTO Committee on Agriculture and furthering collaboration on sanitary and phytosanitary measures as well as technical barriers to trade.
Both organizations commit to continued involvement in the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF), aiming to assist developing countries in enhancing food safety and enabling safe trade by improving their capacity in animal and plant health.
Collaboration will also extend to climate and trade initiatives, including participation in annual COP meetings and engagement with intergovernmental processes involving major economic groups like the G7 and G20.
The agreement includes plans for joint publications on topics intersecting food security, agriculture, fisheries, biodiversity, climate change, nutrition, and trade. It also envisions joint technical cooperation activities and support for regional trade agreements, with a special focus on Africa.
The WTO and FAO have a history of collaboration, including their joint efforts within the UN Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy, and Finance, addressing food and fertilizer issues, and the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS), a transparency mechanism initiated by the G20 and hosted by the FAO.
Furthermore, the FAO contributes to the WTO’s Committee on Agriculture by sharing insights on food security and presenting its key publications and research findings. In reciprocation, the WTO participates in various FAO committees, underscoring the mutual commitment to enhancing global food security and sustainable trade practices.
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