WTO members discussed the way forward for the farm talks at the first negotiation meeting on agriculture following the summer break, took place on 18 September.
The African Group and the Cairns Group of agricultural exporting countries reported progress on key issues in their discussions and expressed hopes of presenting joint proposals in the near future. Brazil proposed to establish a dialogue on sustainable agriculture.
Summarizing his informal consultations with members last week, the Chair of the negotiations, Ambassador Alparslan Acarsoy of Türkiye, highlighted a recurring emphasis on the need to rebuild trust among members.
The Chair highlighted a widespread desire to resume negotiations as soon as possible and to focus on substance, with the goal of initiating text-based talks early enough before the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14).
There was a suggestion, he noted, to enhance political leadership by convening periodic negotiation meetings at the Head-of-Delegation level to review progress and to involve senior officials in addressing particularly intractable issues.
Regarding the procedural steps forward, the Chair outlined two suggestions from the consulted members. One option is to establish informal small groups on various topics, each led by key proponents. The second option is for the Chair to appoint facilitators to lead such thematic negotiations.
Other recommendations included setting milestones in the lead-up to MC14, adopting a comprehensive approach in the negotiations, and considering the relevance of past mandates when defining priorities.
Members welcomed the Chair’s efforts to advance the negotiations and shared their views on the way forward.
Members emphasized the importance of inclusiveness and transparency and the central role of the Committee on Agriculture in Special Session as the primary forum for negotiations.
Some members called for pragmatic interest-based discussions, while others emphasized the need to honour past mandates or underscored the need for a balanced and realistic approach across the board.
