Chair of agriculture talks circulates revised draft text, as MC14 outline emerges
"This text seeks to strike a balance, in my view, by reflecting the shared ambition of members to work towards a fair and market-oriented agricultural trading system capable of delivering outcomes, including enhanced food security," said the Chair about the revised text.
He told the meeting that, in his view, the draft would reaffirm members' commitment to reinvigorate the negotiations and place them in a better position to engage more effectively upon their return to Geneva after MC14.
The Chair reported to the meeting, which was open to all WTO members, following a week of intensive consultations since the last meeting of the full membership on 27 February.
Reactions
Most members spoke in favour of the revised draft. Many said that, while it may not perfectly reflect their positions, it struck a careful balance among competing positions and was a good basis for consensus at the Ministerial Conference. Several members said they had wanted to see their specific negotiating priorities reflected in the draft, but in a spirit of compromise could accept the formulation prepared by the Chair. A few members noted that the text should in their view be further amended.
The draft found support from agricultural importing and exporting countries, including both developed and developing countries, with several negotiating coalitions making collective statements welcoming the revised text.
However, not all members expressed support for the revised text. One member cautioned that, in its view, the text did not commit members to explore new approaches that could help them move beyond the current negotiating impasse. The "C-4" group of West African cotton-producing countries (Mali, Chad, Benin, Burkina Faso) also said that it could not support the text at this stage as the draft, which does not explicitly mention cotton, did not adequately address their concerns.
Members also made suggestions on the format of the session on agriculture at MC14. Most encouraged the Chair to develop a short set of questions to guide dialogue among ministers during the plenary session, while a few thought that breakout sessions would be useful.
Next steps
The Chair thanked all WTO members that had taken part in the consultations, and especially those that had contributed comments on his earlier draft.
The Chair will report to the 10-11 March General Council meeting and will include the text in his written report to be forwarded to the Ministerial Conference.
Along with his description of the process having led to this draft text and the acknowledgment of the remaining concerns, the report will also include guidance on the conduct of ministers' discussions on agriculture at MC14.
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