JOB/AG/249  
 
6 October  2023 
(23-6716) Page: 1/4 
Committee on Agriculture  
Special Session    
 
COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE IN SPECIAL SESSIO N 
3 OCTOBER  2023 
Oral Report by the Chairperson, Ambassador Alparslan  Acarsoy  
STATE -OF-PLAY REPORT : SEPTEMBER CONSULTATIONS  
 
1. As you may recall, in an email on 25 July, I indicated my availability to hold bilateral consultations 
with all interested delegations after the summer break, to discuss how best to make progress in 
our negotiations to achieve a meaningful and balanced outcome at MC13.  
 
2. In response, I held more than 20 consultati ons with Members and Group Coordinators.  
 
3. I remain of course available to meet with Members or groups of Members either bilaterally or in 
another configuration.  
 
4. During the consultations, most Members stressed the importance of an agriculture outcome at 
MC13 and many of them noted that the October Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) could be an 
opportunity for guidance to be provided on how best to work towards achieving an outcome on 
agriculture and food security at MC13.  
 
5. Several Members stressed that the SOM should not address technical issues, and that the 
discussions could usefully be guided by some questions to make the discussions more focussed.  
  
6. Nearly all Members identified food security as the central focus of an outcome at MC13, although 
divergences remain regarding the precise contours of such an outcome and the level of ambition.  
 
7. For some Members, the issues of Public Stockholding for Food Security Purposes (PSH)and the 
Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM), together with Domestic Support a nd Cotton, were the key 
components of an outcome on food security and rural livelihood.  
 
8. Other Members were of the view that a food security outcome should focus on topics where 
immediate deliverables can realistically be envisaged, such as enhancing trans parency and 
export restrictions disciplines.  
 
9. However, some Members cautioned against an outcome containing only these issues. It would 
not be credible unless it included other elements which would enhance food security.  
 
10. Several Members also made referenc e to the specific needs of LDCs and NFIDCs, including by 
referring to the work programme under paragraph 8 of the  MC12  Ministerial Declaration on the 
Emergency Response to Food Insecurity.  
 
11. Few Members noted that food security was a broad topic, going beyo nd the disciplines of the 
Agreement on Agriculture (AoA), as illustrated by a recent contribution on enhancing the role of 
trade facilitation to promote food security.  
 
12. In parallel, several Members emphasized that progress on their own priorities in the ne gotiations, 
such as the reduction of trade -distorting domestic support or an improvement of market access, 
would also contribute to enhancing food security.  JOB/AG/249  
 
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  13. Regarding the overall negotiations on agriculture, many Members expressed the view that 
levelling t he playing field and special and differential treatment should be two guiding principles 
in the negotiations, especially on Domestic Support.  
 
14. For some other Members, an outcome opening the door for more trade -distorting policies would 
move the WTO backwar ds and run against the fundamental long -term objective of the 
negotiations as embedded in Article 20 of the AoA, namely substantial progressive reductions in 
support and protection resulting in fundamental reform.  
 
15. In terms of priorities, many Members reit erated that the reduction of trade -distorting domestic 
support was on top of their list. But divergences remain between different groups of proponents 
on how best to address this topic. They include for example the approach to be followed, whether 
trade -distorting support should be addressed holistically or following a "box -by-box" approach, 
possibly in a sequenced manner, and how to address specific sensitivities regarding Article 6.2 
and for some Members Blue Box support.  
 
16. For a large group of developing country Members, the PSH issue should be addressed on a 
priority basis given the missed deadlines and in the current global context of food security 
challenges faced by many countries! The other priority issues for them are Domestic Support, 
SSM and Cotton.  
 
17. Some Members were of the considered view that the expected outcome at MC13 should depend 
on each topic's degree of priority and maturity. Other Members acknowledged that different 
topics were in different situations, but insisted on the need to achieve a proper balance across 
the board and make sure that no topic was left behind.  
 
18. Links between domestic support and market access or between SSM  and market access, as 
noted yesterday, were highlighted by some Members.  
 
19. Some Members also stressed the link between PSH and domestic support and the need to 
address them together in a coherent manner, while a large group of developing country Members 
rejected this linkage and emphasized the need to address PSH on a priority basis and agree on 
a permanent solution by MC13.  
 
20. The view was also expressed that negotiations would not stop at MC13, and that having a 
framework on how to proceed on the various to pics would be a positive outcome.  
 
21. Some Members were of the view that an MC13 outcome could be to fix as an objective the 
adoption of specific modalities by MC14, especially on domestic support.  
 
22. Regarding the process forward, all Members generally agreed on the need to base the 
negotiations on Members' submissions.  
 
23. To this end, various techniques could be envisaged, such as the immediate use of existing textual 
proposals or discussing first possible options under each of the substantive elements, before 
focussing on textual decisions.  
 
24. Some Members noted the risk of creating a "Frankenstein" text in an attempt to  incorporate 
widely divergent views.  
 
25. Some Members stressed that while they were ready to engage in a focus sed element -by-element 
conversation on the different topics, it did not imply agreeing on a text by MC13.  
 
26. The need for constructive engagement and trust building was also emphasized, with several 
proponents of existing submissions expressing their readiness to do so with their counterparts.  
 
27. With regard to the order and format of discussions, some Members supported a sequential 
approach by first focussing on certain priority issues, such as PSH.  
 
28. Other Members suggested addressing all issues in parallel in a holistic, step -by-step manner or, 
as nicely put by one delegate, by applying small drops of paint on the whole canvass and 
gradually adding colour.  JOB/AG/249  
 
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29. A suggestion was also made to conduct small group meetings in a transparent and open manner, 
given that such a format had worked well in the fi sheries negotiations.  
 
30. Finally, I facilitated a meeting between the African Group and Costa Rica with the view of 
exploring how best to possibly engage in element -by-element discussions based on their two 
recent submissions JOB/AG/242/Rev.1  and JOB/AG/243 . 
 
31. At the meeting, I invited the participants to focus on possible commonalities and elements of 
convergence rather than fault lines. The discussions took place in a positive atmosphere, with 
the two sides carefully listening to each other and exp ressing at the end of the meeting their 
willingness to continue this process with the intention of also involving other Members in due 
course.  
 
32. In sum, discussions during my consultations with Members reflected existing divergences both 
in terms of the substance and the process forward.  
 
33. However, with all Members affirming the need for MC13 to deliver an agriculture and food 
security outcome, I hope that we will be able to intensify our work in the coming months and 
achieve tangible progress.  
 
34. Let me con clude with a few comments on the way forward, based on the discussions thus far:  
 
35. I will continue to initiate element -by-element discussions for each topic based on Members' 
submissions.  
 
• As regards PSH, we have on the table two specific proposals on PSH i nitially circulated 
before MC12, plus one recent proposal on Domestic Support also addressing PSH. We 
will continue the element -by-element discussions we started yesterday.  
 
• With respect to Domestic Support, we also have two proposals on the table. I just 
reported on the meeting I facilitated between the African Group, Costa Rica and a few 
other Members.  
 
• We have one proposal on SSM, but the linkage with market access continues to remain 
a key challenge in these discussions.  
 
• On the other topics, I hope we can get new proposals and inputs from proponents on 
market access, export restrictions, and possibly export competition.  
 
• Cotton will of course also need to be addressed.  
 
36. We should also remind ourselves that MC13 will not be the end of the road.  
 
37. Our obje ctive is to initiate a process that would reinvigorate the negotiations and achieve 
tangible progress, while delivering at the same time on food security.  
 
38. Food security is intrinsically linked to the negotiating topics. Members believe that deliverables 
on these topics can also enhance food security, sometimes in complement with other 
components beyond the remit of the AoA.  
 
39. This close link was reaffirmed by Ministers in the MC12 Declaration on the Emergency Response 
to Food Insecurity where they reaffirmed their determination to make progress towards the 
achievement of a fair and market -oriented agricultural trading system, ending hunger, achieving 
food security and improved nutrition, promoting sustainable agriculture and food systems.  
 
40. Finally, one critical challenge will be to find an appropriate balance between the recognition of 
different priorities in the negotiations and the importance of preserving a holistic, balanced 
approach where all Members can envision possible trade -offs. 
CONCLUS IONS  
 JOB/AG/249  
 
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  41. Our exchange today has been fruitful. We need to lay the ground for what comes next: the 
upcoming meeting of the Committee on Agriculture in Special Session on 19 -20 October, but 
also the Senior Officials Meeting on 23 -24 October, and the process thereaf ter. 
 
42. Regarding the Senior Officials Meeting, I would  like to thank you for your interventions and your 
useful ideas and suggestions. I will reflect carefully on what you have said today.  
 
43. At the Heads of Delegations meeting to take place on 10 October, I will present my views on 
how the Senior Officials Meeting could best provide us with useful guidance building on our 
discussions today.  
 
44. My objective is that we make concrete progress, step -by-step, on the topics under negotiation, 
building on Members subm issions to date, and advancing on an element -by-element basis. This 
objective could also evolve depending on the guidance we receive from Senior Officials.  
 
45. As I have stressed on many occasions, a lot of work has been done since the beginning of the 
year, but much more needs to be done.  
 
46. There is an urgent need for our negotiations to begin delivering real outcomes. My predecessor 
made a similar point a few months before MC12. Ambassador Abraham Peralta recalled the 
words of the previous Chair, Ambassador Deep Ford, who stressed that many delegations had 
regretted  that "time ran out at MC11, and this should not be allowed to happen again".   
 
47. She said, "in other words, we should not put ourselves in a situation where it is always too early, 
until it is too late".  
 
48. That was the case for both MC11 and MC12 which failed to deliver outcomes in agriculture. For 
MC12, it was gratifying that Ministers adopted a package on food security.  
 
49. Let us do better this time and agree on a substantive outcome at MC13 . 
 
50. This is precisely my intention, by providing you with the best possible conditions to engage with 
one another and narrow the gaps to build – step-by-step – the basis for an outcome at MC13.  
 
 
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