G/AG/W/223   
12 September 2022  
(22-6693) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Agriculture  Original: Spanish  
 
  
DEDICATED WORK PROGRAMME TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVE AND OPERATIONAL 
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MARRAKESH DECISION ON MEASURES  
CONCERNING THE POSSIBLE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF  
THE REFORM PROGRAMME ON LDCS AND NFIDCS  
COMMUNICATION FROM PARAGUAY  
The following communication , received on  12 September  2022, is being circulated at the request of 
the delegation of Paraguay . 
 
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1.  As a result of the Twelfth Ministerial Conference, Members agreed on a package of documents 
on agriculture, includi ng the Ministerial Declaration on the Emergency Response to Food Insecurity 
(WT/MIN(22)/28 WT/L/1139 ). The eighth paragraph of this document provides for the creation of a 
dedicated work programme in the Committee on Agriculture " to examine how " the Marrakesh 
Decision on Measures Concerning the  Possible Negative Effects of the Reform Programme on 
Least -Developed and Net Food -Importing Developing Countries " could be made more effective and 
operational pursuant to Article 16 of the Agreement on Agriculture and to consider concerns raised 
by Member s in their current and future submissions ". 
2.  Moreover, the agreed document recognizes that this work programme " shall consider the needs 
of LDCs and NFIDCs to increase their resilience in responding to acute food instability including by 
considering the bes t possible use of flexibilities to bolster their agricultural production and enhance 
their domestic food security as needed in an emergency ". 
3.  It is therefore agreed that Members should implement the mandate in paragraph 8 of the 
Decision, taking into accou nt its scope. The following is noted with regard to the scope of this 
paragraph and the commitments undertaken therei n: 
(a) The work programme is established in the Committee on Agriculture.  
(b) The scope of the commitment is to examine how to make the Marrakesh D ecision more 
effective and operational.  
(c) The work programme must take into consideration concerns raised by Members.  
(d) The best possible use of flexibilities must be taken into consideration so that LDCs and 
NFIDCs are able bolster their agricultural production and enhance their domestic food 
security in an emergency.  
4.  Therefore, to ensure that the four elements identified  are addressed , any work programme that 
is established must take into account the limits of its scope and be open to any  Members that express 
an interest in taking part.  
5.  The following initial courses of action are thus proposed : 
(a) Members should agree on an open and flexible format that allows any interested Members 
to take part  and does not prevent those wishing to join afte r the creation of the Working 
Party from doing so.  
 
(b) The Chair, together with the Secretariat, should present  Members  with a timetable for the 
Working Group that includes thematic discussions  based on the proposals submitted by G/AG/W/223  
 
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  Members for their considerati on and approval. The Ministerial Declaration identifies existing 
flexibilities as an important component of these discussions. Moreover, using the Marrakesh 
Decision as the basis for guiding the discussions, the specific points in paragraphs 3 and 4 
of thi s Decision could be included as topics that could be covered in thematic sessions, as 
well as financing, technical assistance and technology transfer needs. Members interested 
in each topic for discussion could submit specific documents or make presentatio ns to enrich 
the discussions to be scheduled . 
 
(c) The Secretariat should present Members with a compilation of the list of flexibilities available 
to LDCs and NFIDCs , and develop a questionnaire, in consultation with Members, to identify 
which flexibilities are being used and which are not, identifying the reasons why certain 
existing flexibilities are not being used. This will enable gaps in current measures  to be 
identified and recommendations to potentially be made on possible improvements to be 
implemented.  
 
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 G/AG/W/223  
 
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  ANNEX 1: COMMITMENTS UNDERTAKEN BY MEMBERS  
Table 1: What do the documents say?  
Ministerial Declaration on the 
Emergency Response to Food 
Insecurity (WT/MIN(22)/28 
WT/L/1139 ) Marrakech Decision on Measures 
concerning the Possible Negative 
Effects of the Reform Programme 
on LDCs and NFIDCs  Agreement on Agriculture  
Paragraph 8 : [to have ] a dedicated 
work programme in the 
Committee on Agriculture to 
examine how this Decision could 
be made more effective and 
operational pursuant to Article 16 
of the Agreement on Agriculture 
and to consider concerns raised by 
Members in their current and 
future submissions. The work 
programme shall consider the 
needs of LDCs and NFIDCs to 
increase their resilience in 
responding to acute food 
instability including by considering 
the best possible use of flexibilities 
to bolster their agricultural 
production and enhance their 
domestic food securi ty as needed 
in an emergency.  Paragraph 3 : to establish 
appropriate mechanisms to ensure 
that the implementation of the 
results of the Uruguay Round does 
not adversely affect the 
availability of food aid at a 
level which is sufficient to 
continue to provid e assistance 
in meeting the food needs of 
developing countries, 
especially least developed and 
net food -importing developing 
countries . To this end : 
 
(i) to review the level of food aid 
established periodically by the 
Committee on Food Aid under the 
Food Aid Convention 1986 and to 
initiate negotiations in the 
appropriate forum to establish a 
level of food aid commitments 
sufficient to meet the legitimat e 
needs of developing countries 
during the reform programme;  
 
(ii) to adopt guidelines to ensure 
that an increasing proportion of 
basic foodstuffs is provided to least 
developed and net food -importing 
developing countries in fully grant 
form and/or on appropriate 
concessional terms in line with 
Article  IV of the Food  Aid 
Convention 1986;  
 Part X: Article 16  
Least -Developed and Net 
Food-Importing Developing 
Countries : 
 
1. Developed country Members 
shall take such action as is 
provided for within the framework 
of the Decision on Measures 
Concerning the Possible Negative  
Effects of the Reform Programme 
on Least -Developed and Net 
Food-Importing Developing 
Countries.  
 
2. The Committee on Agriculture 
shall monitor, as appropriate, the 
follow -up to this Decision.  
 (iii) to give full consideration in the 
context of their aid programmes to 
requests for the provision of 
technical and financial assistance 
to least -developed and net food -
importing developing countries to 
improve their agricultural 
productivity and infrastructure.  
 
Paragraph 4 : that any agreement 
relating to ag ricultural export 
credits makes appropriate 
provision for differential treatment 
in favour of least -developed and 
net food -importing developing 
countries.   
 
 
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