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General Council  – Special Meeting  
31 March 2022    
 
MINUTES OF THE MEETING1 
HELD IN THE CENTRE WILLIAM RAPPARD AND IN VIRTUAL FORMAT ON 31 MARCH 2022  
Chairperson: H.E. Mr. Didier Chambovey (Switzerland)  
1  REVIEW OF THE OPERATION OF THE BALI DECISION ON TRQ ADMINISTRATION –
DECISION ON PARAGRAPH 4 OF THE UNDERFILL MECHANISM  
1.1.  The Chair  recalled that, at MC9, Ministers had adopted the Decision on Tariff Rate Quota 
Administration (WT/MIN(13)/39 – WT/L/914) which also required the Committee on Agriculture to 
review and monitor the implementat ion of Members' obligations established under the Decision.  
1.2.  The issue of the future operation of paragraph 4 of the Underfill Mechanism was mandated to 
be taken up during the Review exercise. He recalled that, a lthough the Review was concluded in 
December  2019, Members  had agreed to defer the timeline for a decision on the future operation of 
paragraph 4 of the Underfill Mechanism to the end of 2021. This matter had been  taken up by the 
General Council at its November 2021 meeting. At that meeting, the Gen eral Council Chair had 
reminded delegations that, if Members were unable to reach an agreement at MC12, the General 
Council might have to revisit the matter, given the end -of-year deadline for a decision.  He further 
recalled that, further to the postponem ent of MC12, and in light of the consultations conducted by 
the Chair of the Committee on Agriculture and the understanding reached among Members, at its 
urgent special meeting on 15 December 2021, the General Council had agreed to the exceptional 
extensio n of the deadline for a decision on paragraph 4 of the Underfill Mechanism until 
31 March  2022.  
1.3.  The Committee on Agriculture had continued its work on this matter, and he understood that 
progress had been made and that Members might be in a position to tak e a decision on this issue. 
He invited Mr Marcos Da Rosa Uranga, Chair of the Committee on Agriculture, to report to the 
General Council about these developments.  
1.4.  Mr. Marcos Da Rosa Uranga  (Uruguay) , Chair of the Committee on Agriculture , thanked the 
General Council Chair for convening the  special meeting of the General Council at the Committee's  
request in order for Members to endorse the consensual agreement reached at the Committee on 
Agriculture’s reconvened 100th meeting on the issue of the future  operation of paragraph 4 of the 
Bali TRQ Decision’s underfill mechanism.  
1.5.  He said that, w ith this agreement, Members would  successfully conclude a long process that 
had started in 201 7, with  the review of the operation of the Bali TRQ Decision, which was m andated 
by Ministers as per paragraphs 13 -15 of the Decision, with the objective of promoting a continuing 
process of improvement in the utilization of tariff rate quotas.  
1.6.  He recalled that he had explained the  details of the content of the draft decision a t the meeting 
of the General Council held on 22 November  2021, as reflected in the minutes of that meeting (in 
document WT/GC/M/194). He noted that t he draft decision in Annex to G/AG/32/Add.1 was in 
substance the same as the one the Committee on Agricultu re had sent to the General Council in 
November last year in Annex to document G/AG/32, and that had been subsequently transmitted 
 
1 The proposed agenda was circulated in document WT/GC/W/8 43. WT/GC/M/19 7 
 
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  for the consideration of Ministers at MC12, when this was expected to happen in 
November/December 2021. 
1.7.  In terms of process,  he said that  after the General Council, at its special meeting of 
15 December 2021, had agreed to an exceptional extension of the deadline for a decision by 
3 months , as agriculture attachés w ould be able to confirm, work at a technical level  had intensifie d 
in order to reach an agreement.  
1.8.  In addition to  many, permanent consultations with delegations in different configurations, the 
Committee  had considered the issue at its five informal meetings on 2 and 18 February, 4, 15 and 
28 March 2022, as well as at i ts 100th formal meeting on  16 March 16th, reconvened on 29 March, 
where consensus had been  finally reached.  The exceptional extension agreed by the General Council 
in December 2021 had proved to be useful, as it had allowed those Members that had indicated  they 
needed more time to conduct their domestic consultations to get a better understanding of the 
implications of the draft Decision, which in turn  had helped them to successfully conclude their 
internal procedures.  After constructive discussions with ot her Members, the delegation that had 
raised some concerns with the draft Decision in G/AG/32  had showed flexibility and had allowed the 
Committee to reach full consensus on this long -standing matter.  
1.9.  He stressed that t he agreement reached was not insignificant, as it ensure d that the underfill 
mechanism would  be fully applicable to all WTO Members in the future, and that concerns presented 
under its procedure would effectively reach a closure, while providing for an app ropriate special and 
differential treatment for importing developing Members.  
1.10.   In addition, even when the multilateral system was not at its brightest hour, this agreement 
showed that, when Members work ed together in a spirit of flexibility and compromise, reaching 
consensual outcomes was possible at the WTO. He said that it was his  hope that this contribution of 
the Committee on Agriculture, humble as it m ight be, would serve as an inspiration for WTO 
Members, particularly as they engage d in negotiations towards positive outcomes in agriculture and 
other important and complex issues at MC12.  
1.11.   As Chair of the Committee on Agriculture, he wished  to sincerely thank all delegations for 
their contribution to this outcome, including the delegatio ns of the United States, China, the 
European Union, Ukraine, Guatemala, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Barbados, South Africa, 
Vietnam and India for the flexibilit y they had showed in different stages of the process.  
1.12.   In this vein, he said that,  at the ri sk of being unfair to all the people that had made this 
collective outcome possible, he wished to  personally acknowledge and thank two colleagues: Tayutic 
Mena, from the delegation of Costa Rica, who was the mastermind behind the proposal that was 
later ta ken up by the Committee, and Greg MacDonald, from the delegation of Canada, who had 
also played a decisive role and had worked closely with the Chair in the last part of the process that 
had led to this outcome.  He further wished to acknowledge the work of  the former Chairs  of the 
Committee on Agriculture  Debora Cumes (Guatemala), Christiane Daleiden (Luxembourg) and Maria 
Escandor (Philippines), who had played a key role in advancing this review from its early stages in 
2017.  Last but not least, he wished  to personally acknowledge and thank the whole CoA team, and 
in particular the Secretary of the Committee, Diwakar Dixit, for his tireless work and support at all 
times.  
1.13.   The representative of India delivered the following statement:  
1.14.   India notes the proposa l contained in document G/AG/32 to complete the review process as 
mandated in paragraphs 13 and 14 of the Bali Ministerial Decision entitled "Understanding of Tariff 
Rate Quota Administration Provisions of Agricultural Products" as defined in Article 2 of the 
Agreement on Agriculture. Specifically, the decision required a review of the future operation of 
Paragraph 4 of the Underfill Mechanism in Annex A by MC12. The decision also offered the right to 
select Members listed in Annex B of the decision to disc ontinue the application of Paragraph 4 should 
there be no agreement among Members on the future operation of Paragraph 4 of the Underfill 
Mechanism. We were concerned that the proposed text in G/AG/32 does not adequately provide 
special and differential tr eatment for the developing Members which is otherwise available in the 
Bali Ministerial decision's Underfill Mechanism in Paragraph 4 of Annex A. It was in this regard that 
India suggested some changes in G/AG/32 and tried to explore consensus in these cha nges. I do WT/GC/M/19 7 
 
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  agree that it was too late. During the meeting of CoA held on 29 March 2022, the Membership 
assured, and I get that reflected in the report of the Chair of the CoA also that special and differential 
treatment of the Ministerial Decision is prese rved in the revised draft proposal contained in the 
document G/AG/32 even without the changes proposed by India. India believes in multilateral 
trading system based on consensus and hence India joins the consensus with the understanding 
that the draft prop osal in G/AG/32/Add.1 for the Future Operation of Paragraph 4 of the Bali Decision 
for the Administration of TRQ Underfills has preserved special and differential treatment for 
developing country Members.  
1.15.   The representative of the Philippines  delivered the  following statement:  
1.16.   The Philippines takes the floor to appreciate the Membership, the delegations and the 
Secretariat in the Committee on Agriculture in delivering this positive result after four years of work. 
The Philippines, through its Chairmanship through Ms. Maria Escandor during the past year also 
contributed to the arrival of this work and consensus. With that, we thank the Secretariat and all 
those who have worked on this solution and all delegations who have cooperated in making today 
possible.   
1.17.   The representative of Egypt  delivered the following statement:  
1.18.   Egypt would like to extend our thanks to the Committee on Agriculture and the Secretariat 
for the extensive efforts put into the process until we were able to reach such an outcome on the 
matter of the Review of the Operation of the Bali Decision on TRQ Administration. I would underscore 
that, despite the legitimate differences among the negotiating parties, Members were able to 
converge. We hope our discussions on other topics will be treate d with an equitable level of flexibility 
and spirit of convergence. Allow me to seize this opportunity to remind that the world is facing a 
severe food security problem. Prices have increased dramatically and supply falling short of demand. 
Food supply cha in has become in complete jeopardy – risking the lives of hundreds of millions in our 
region and around the world. Egypt is among the mostly affected by the current situation. We should 
be up to the challenge. In the run up to MC12, this organization shoul d be able to deliver a workable 
solution that would contribute to mitigating what has become a most serious problem the world is 
now facing. There is no one size fits all. An envisaged solution for this problem should take into 
account the special case of net-food importing developing countries especially those in our region. 
As mentioned by the African Group in the last Informal GC meeting, 35 African countries are 
dependent on food imported from the Balkan Sea region. Egypt is by far the largest importer of 
wheat and grains from both Ukraine and Russia. Up to 85% of our wheat and grains imported are 
sourced from both countries. Our food import though is rapidly increasing by the day. Food prices 
increased 20% compared to a month earlier. The problem for us  and for many other countries in 
similar predicament could have implications that go beyond our ability to handle. Egypt should 
continue to work on this issue in the relevant WTO Bodies as well as here at the General Council. 
The Ministerial Conference sho uld gavel down concrete decisions in this regard. NFIDCs and LDCs 
should be given the policy space to preserve their own food security. There are several possible 
ideas that could be pursued in that regard – among them is reconsidering the establishment of  a 
trust revolving fund and a global food reserve. Such ideas could be explored in coordination with 
other international organizations and based on donor's contributions or other resources to help 
affected countries meet their basic food needs and finance their increasing import bills before they 
become an insurmountable burden on the budget. It is time for us all to prove that this organization 
is relevant and capable enough to successfully address this very urgent matter that concerns the 
livelihood of mi llions of people.  
1.19.   The representative of China  delivered the following statement:  
1.20.   China appreciates the effort and the contributions of the WTO Secretariat, Chair of the 
Committee on Agriculture and all Members particularly those with great concern on this  issue for the 
constructive and cooperative spirit. China hopes today's positive result can set an example for 
subsequent negotiations on key issues through the principle of consensus and cooperation.  
1.21.   The representative of the Republic of Korea  delivered t he following statement:  
1.22.   We would like to express our deep appreciation to the CoA Chair and the Secretariat for their 
hard work on reaching consensus on this matter. This matter continued to be under discussion in WT/GC/M/19 7 
 
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  the Committee on Agriculture for several years. It was a very good news for the legitimacy of this 
organization. Considering the current circumstances, it may not be unlikely that there is a serious 
food crisis next year we all might be facing if the current Russia's invasion to Ukraine continues . This 
springtime is the sowing season for Ukraine and Russia. If the war persists for some time, the sowing 
would be inhibited. This would mean that there is no new harvest of wheat and other grains in 
Ukraine and some parts of Russia implying a serious s hortage of grains supply in the world market. 
Currently, Ukraine and Russia contribute to some 30% of world grain production. In 2008, there was 
a food shortage resulting from drought in Australia and in some other producing areas. As a result, 
the global price of wheat went up to 75%. But this time, in 2021 and in 2022, the food shortage 
may not be comparable to one we faced in 2008. With 15% to 20% decrease in grain harvest this 
fall under the scenario I just described due to the current war, the global p rice of grains next year 
could go up by five to ten times compared to their usually prevailing level. This means that, in some 
developing countries and vulnerable countries in Asia and in Africa and also for the vulnerable section 
of the populations in dev eloped countries, there could be serious food insecurity situation next year. 
Please consider the situation where some parents have to go to bed with no certainty on how to feed 
their children tomorrow. This kind of serious situation demands that we cannot  afford to doing our 
business as usual at the WTO. This is a serious emergency situation. Therefore, I would like to ask 
the WTO Agriculture Community and the relevant WTO parties to take immediate action now so as 
to address and to prevent or suitably mit igate imminent crisis. There is a book which deals with 
necessary actions in case of an imminent pandemic written by a Belgian Microbiologist Mr. Peter 
Piot. The title of the book is "No time to lose." Considering the current situation of expected food 
shortage and crisis this fall and next year, we also do not have the luxury to lose any time. This is 
rather a moment where there is no time to lose.  
1.23.   The representative of Paraguay  delivered the following statement:  
1.24.   We recognize the tireless work undertaken b y the CoA Chair and the hours spent by 
Guatemala, the Philippines and Luxembourg throughout this process which has taken many years 
to conclude but which today we can say has been worth it. We are very satisfied by the outcome 
and the fact that today we ha ve shown that it is possible to achieve multilateral outcomes on 
agriculture – albeit modest. We can continue to count on the system to improve these outcomes if 
we work together and exercise flexibility required to achieve them. We thank the fantastic gro up of 
agriculture colleagues for their dedication and their individual contributions representing their 
various delegations and for the flexibility they have shown. We hope that this will be just the first 
successful outcome on agriculture this year. In or der to do this, if we continue making progress with 
a constructive and collaborative spirit that has brought us, we think it will be possible.  
1.25.   The representative of Costa Rica  delivered the following statement:  
1.26.   Costa Rica congratulates the entire Membersh ip for this collective success. The result today 
is important for the WTO due to its significance. After four years of negotiations and the three -month 
process that comes to fruition today, discussions and consultation have taken place on this subject. 
The Committee on Agriculture has achieved an agreement and filled the regulatory gap from Bali. 
With this, we can say that the final decision is universal in its application. Special and differential 
treatment has been completely preserved. The result is cohe rent with the spirit of the mechanism. 
We thank the CoA Chair, Mr. Uranga (Uruguay) for his persistence and hard work to lead this process 
to its conclusion. A special mention also goes to the previous Chairs – Ms Cumes (Guatemala), 
Mrs. Distefano (Luxembo urg) and Ms. Escandor (Philippines) and the colleagues from the Secretariat 
who have always supported us throughout the process as well as the colleagues and delegates who 
have shown constructive and flexible approach to ensure that this topic can bear fru it. Special 
mention also goes to our colleague and friend Mr. Macdonald (Canada). It is not every  day that we 
achieve consensus on agriculture in this house. Today we are enjoying a big victory for the 
multilateral trading system,  and this should be a reas on for celebration.  
1.27.   The representative of Chile delivered the following statement:  
1.28.   We congratulate everyone who has participated in this agreement particularly the four recent 
CoA Chairs. In the current unacceptable and sad circumstances, we can continue to discuss this. We 
believe in multilateralism particularly during these times. We need to keep open channels of WT/GC/M/19 7 
 
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  communication and conversation. We hope that this decision will be exemplary for other important 
negotiating processes currently underway in th is organization also on agriculture.  
1.29.   The representative of Malaysia  delivered the following statement:  
1.30.   My delegation would also like to express our deepest appreciation to all CoA Chairs, the WTO 
Secretariat and all Members who have worked in a constructi ve spirit and have exercised flexibility 
in making consensus happen.  
1.31.   The representative of Ukraine  delivered the following statement:  
1.32.   We would like to echo the congratulations and acknowledge the work of the CoA Chairs and 
the Secretariat. We also acknowl edge the contributions of several delegations including Costa Rica, 
Canada and others that Ukraine has worked closely with in the process. We welcome the adoption 
of the decision today. Ukraine is a strong supporter of the multilateral rules -based trading system. 
Even in times of crisis or especially in times of crisis, we think that the system and the WTO as its 
core can provide benefits and deliver solutions. Ukraine and its economy are integrated into the 
multilateral trading system in various global val ue and supply chains. In previous years, 10% of our 
wheat, 16% of our corn and 55% of the sunflower oil in the world was exported by Ukraine. More 
than 55% of Ukrainian wheat was exported to Asia and 40% to African States. However, the situation 
has drasti cally changed on 21 February as the Russian Federation launched a full -scale war against 
Ukraine in attack of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine in a brutal violation of norms 
and principles of international law as well as the purpose and  principles of this very organization. As 
a result of Russia's actions, food export from Ukraine has been partially suspended. Nearly 30% of 
Ukraine's economy is already halted. Russia's blockade of Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea and the 
Sea of Azov disr upts Ukraine export. Russian troops damage critical infrastructure as well as target 
agriculture equipment to prevent the start of the sowing period as had been mentioned by Korea. 
All these while the overall size of the agriculture area in Ukraine is expe cted to decrease by 30%.  
1.33.   The representative of the Russian Federation  asked for the floor on a point of order .  
1.34.   The Chair  said that the Russian Federation would be given the floor after Ukraine  had finished 
its statement.  
1.35.   The representative of Ukraine  continued the statement : 
1.36.   If the war continues, Ukraine will not be able to supply the world with 6 million tons of wheat 
and 15 million tons of corn left over the last harvest – and will not be able to fully sow and harvest 
this year. This will cause a largescale humanitarian crisis in the world in the near future as mentioned 
by the delegations of Korea and Egypt and also by Heads of numerous international organizations 
and other delegations in the course of the last  month. 400 million lives in the Middle East, North 
Africa and Asia are at risk of unstable access to food, malnutrition and famine. According to the FAO -
World Food Programme Hunger Hotspot Report, 18 out of 20 identified countries that are expected 
to fac e increased levels of food insecurity are NFIDCs as was referred to by our colleague from Egypt. 
The Russian war against Ukraine is a threat to global food security. Stopping the war immediately 
would protect the world from hunger and famine and would allo w Ukrainian farmers and 
entrepreneurs to re -engage and deliver food to those in need. With this in mind, we would be very 
supportive of further discussions within this forum on the issues in order to find a sustainable and 
resilient solution to deal with t his food crisis.  
1.37.   The representative of the Russian Federation  delivered the following statement:  
1.38.   As a point of order, I would like to note that the intervention of Ukraine as well as some 
elements of the previous statements made by Egypt and the Republic of Korea, go far beyond the 
agenda of today's meeting. I kindly ask you to moderate today’s discussion accordingly and prevent 
delegations from transforming the General Council into a political show. I also request that 
statements which do not correspond t o the agenda of this meeting are not included into its minutes.  WT/GC/M/19 7 
 
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  1.39.   The representative of the European Union  delivered the following statement:  
1.40.   We would like to join the previous delegations in expressing our satisfaction with the positive 
outcome. The EU we lcomes the solution reached and we support the final text agreed in the regular 
Committee on Agriculture on the review of the Bali TRQ on TRQ management as contained in 
G/AG/32/Add.1. We would like to thank the Chair of the CoA as well as the WTO Secretari at for the 
relentless efforts in bringing the Membership towards consensus. It is a rare example of positions of 
all Members in agriculture coming together. We can all draw some lessons from this exercise for 
future discussions on more substantive issues i n agriculture and elsewhere. Timely engagement and 
flexibility in reaching an outcome on the review contributed to this success. This positive outcome 
also demonstrates WTO Members' commitment to the multilateral trading system. I would like to 
add that we  would also like to reiterate the EU and its Member States' full solidarity with Ukraine 
and the Ukrainian people. The EU condemns in the strongest possible terms Russia's unprovoked 
and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine which grossly violate s international law and the 
UN Charter and undermines international security and stability. It is now more than a month that 
Russia continues to commit blatant act of aggression against Ukraine. These attacks have resulted 
in the suffering and losses of hu man lives. The Russian war against Ukraine also has implications 
beyond Ukraine borders. It has repercussions in terms of food security including effects on global 
food supply chains and price increases on agricultural commodities. The EU demands that Russ ia 
immediately cease its military actions, withdraw all its troops from the entire territory of Ukraine 
and fully respects Ukraine territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence within its 
internationally recognized borders. At all times, Russia must respect its responsibilities under 
international humanitarian law.  
1.41.   The representative of South Africa  delivered the following statement:  
1.42.   We thank the CoA Chair who oversaw this process for his report including the report submitted 
today. We thank the Memb ers for working hard to achieve consensus with regard to the TRQ Underfill 
mechanism. We believe in the importance of preserving S&DT which we believe must remain integral 
to all WTO decisions and this remains important in securing consensus in the WTO. We  hope we can 
now work towards achieving the long -term objective of agricultural reform which remains a key 
priority especially as we work towards MC12.  
1.43.   The representative of the United Kingdom  delivered the following statement:  
1.44.   The United Kingdom is grate ful to colleagues who have worked so hard to reach an agreement 
on this. In particular, we are grateful to the efforts of the CoA Chair, the Secretariat and the 
delegation from Costa Rica. We are glad that we have reached agreement on this as it shows what  
we can do in this organization in terms of negotiating rules by which we can engage and trade with 
each other. In that context, we cannot sit by and ignore the egregious violations on international 
law and UN Charter committed by one Member against anothe r. We have seen the direct 
consequences of Russia's actions here impeding Ukraine's ability to fully participate in the work of 
this institution and to fulfil its important role in agriculture trade and improving food security for all 
of the Members here. We heard so clearly from Egypt and Korea the impact this is having on food 
security and global trade. We too believe strongly that this organization needs to prove that it is not 
indifferent to this issue. We believe that immediate actions to help resolve it should be a priority for 
the discussions in agriculture. Let us be clear. This is a result of one Member's actions – Russia. It 
is a result of Russian tanks in Ukrainian fields, Russian ships blocking Ukrainian ports and Russian 
missiles destroying Ukra ine's infrastructure. While Russia continues to violate international law, 
human rights and commit multiple offences to peace and security, we will work with our allies and 
partners across the multilateral system to condemn Russia's appalling actions and t o isolate them 
on the international stage. Ultimately, the best thing that can be done to ensure global food markets 
function properly right now is for Russia to de -escalate and remove its troops from Ukraine 
immediately.  
1.45.   The representative of Guatemala  delivered the following statement:  
1.46.   I echo other delegations and take this opportunity to express and leave on record the great 
satisfaction we feel at this tremendous result today. I take this opportunity to thank the four CoA 
Chairs who participated in th is process including my colleague, Ms. Debora Cumes. At the same 
time, I would also thank the Secretariat who assisted us in this process.  WT/GC/M/19 7 
 
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  1.47.   The representative of Australia  delivered the following statement:  
1.48.   Russia's invasion of Ukraine is exacting a catast rophic humanitarian toll – the impacts of which 
are only beginning to unfold. UN Agencies and others are increasingly warning of significant negative 
food security consequences of Russia's aggression against Ukraine noting the key role these 
countries play  as major suppliers of key commodities such as wheat and rising global food and fuel 
prices. Stable, open and predictable markets are vital at such time as we have learned from previous 
experience. Australia therefore warmly welcomes the outcome of the Com mittee on Agriculture this 
week on the underfill mechanism of the Bali TRQ Administration Decision. The conclusion of the Bali 
TRQ Decision was an important achievement for WTO Members as part of the continuation of the 
reform process enshrined in Article 20 of the Agreement on Agriculture. Ensuring that TRQ methods 
are not responsible for quota underfill is an important aspect to market access commitments made 
in the Uruguay Round. In our view, the draft text recommended by the Committee strikes the right 
balance between resolving underfill concerns and ensuring sufficient and appropriate S&DT 
flexibilities for developing country Members. We also welcome the fact that under this outcome, 
Annex B will no longer exist and its Members would agree to the provis ions of Paragraph 4 of the 
Underfill Mechanism. We particularly thank the CoA Chair for his patient and persistent efforts in 
reach this outcome and for the efforts of other WTO Members including in particular the technical 
advice of Costa Rica.  
1.49.   The repres entative of Barbados  delivered the following statement:  
1.50.   Barbados joins others in applauding all WTO Members regarding the decision on Paragraph 4 
of the Underfill Mechanism this morning. We would like to thank the CoA Chair and the WTO 
Secretariat for the ir tireless efforts. Today's decision is a win for multilateralism and for the rules -
based multilateral trading system as embodied by the organization. It is a positive motivator for our 
work ahead towards MC12. We therefore hope that we can build on this momentum to achieve 
outcomes in other areas including on fisheries subsidies, agriculture, e -commerce, the WTO response 
to the pandemic as well as on development and special and differential treatment on crosscutting 
areas of the WTO. Barbados remains comm itted to playing its part to this end.  
1.51.   The representative of Argentina  delivered the following statement:  
1.52.   Argentina would also like to thank the CoA Chairs who led us through this process. We thank 
the Secretariat and all delegations involved. We trust th at this will be an inspiration. It provides an 
opportunity to address new challenges and advance agricultural reform as we head towards MC12 – 
as the only way of responding to the current and future challenges related to food security, among 
others.  
1.53.   The re presentative of the United States  delivered the following statement:  
1.54.   We would like to join others in expressing our deep appreciation to the CoA Chair and to all 
Members including and notably the delegation of Costa Rica for their diligent efforts particu larly over 
the last year and in the last several days to arrive at a balanced solution to amend the Bali TRQ 
Underfill Mechanism. Arriving at consensus took hard work, flexibility and considerable patience by 
all Members. Thanks to these great efforts, we now have an improved Bali TRQ understanding. The 
United States would also like to take the opportunity to reiterate its strong support for Ukraine during 
this unimaginably difficult time. The United States condemns Russia's premediated and unprovoked 
attack on Ukraine and we support and affiliate with the statements made by the EU, the UK, Australia 
and others calling upon Russia to immediately cease its use of force against Ukraine.  
1.55.   The representative of Nigeria  delivered the following statement:  
1.56.   We thank  Members, the Committee on Agriculture and the Secretariat for their tireless effort 
in reaching consensus on this issue. Nigeria is a believer of the multilateral trading system. We shall 
continue to support any positive action that will assist Members to  have fruitful outcomes especially 
on agriculture being one of the most important issues to Members in the WTO. We urge Members to 
also consider reaching convergence in other areas in agriculture currently under negotiation. This 
will greatly help in makin g MC12 more successful.  WT/GC/M/19 7 
 
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  1.57.   The representative of Norway  delivered the following statement:  
1.58.   Like others, Norway would like to congratulate Members on the agreement on the amendment 
of the Bali Underfill Mechanism. We appreciate the efforts of the current CoA Chair as well as previous 
Chairs who have worked diligently over the years to come to this point. We also thank the delegates 
involved in the process as well as the Secretariat who has done a wonderful job in supporting 
Members on this issue. Norway has al so noted concerns raised by Members on the situation in the 
world affecting global food security. We share their concerns. Like other Members who have taken 
the floor before me, we are very clear about who is responsible for this situation. Russia is 
respo nsible through its actions with assistance Belarus. These two countries have created 
widespread destruction and human suffering in a horrendous scale. Millions of refugees have been 
displaced. Russia is also directly responsible for the impact in global fo od systems and the 
consequences that will be felt worldwide in particular by the poor people of the world. For these 
reasons, we appeal to Russia to immediately stop its war against Ukraine and take their soldiers 
home.  
1.59.   The representative of Japan  delivere d the following statement:  
1.60.   Japan welcomes consensus on the Bali TRQ Review. We appreciate the hard work on this 
important issue and tireless effort by the CoA Chair and his predecessors as well as the Secretariat. 
Let me also support the statement made by  Ukraine and echo the previous speakers. Japan has 
condemned recent aggression against Ukraine in the strongest terms as it clearly infringes upon 
Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, constitutes a serious violation of international law 
prohibi ting the use of force and is a grave breach of the UN Charter. Russian aggression to Ukraine 
also concerns us from the viewpoint of its impact on the global food security including severe effects 
on global food supply chains and the price volatility of agr icultural commodities. We call on Members 
to keep their food agricultural market open and to guard against any unjustified export restrictive 
measures. What the WTO could contribute in this context is a pertinent issue that we have to tackle 
immediately in cluding monitoring work in the regular bodies. Japan has strongly urged Russia to 
cease attack and withdraw its force back to Russian territory immediately. This is the only avenue 
to stop supply chain disturbances which many countries now started sufferin g from. Japan stands in 
solidarity with Ukraine and its people together with the international community.  
1.61.   The representative of Uruguay  delivered the following statement:  
1.62.   Let me begin by thanking the four previous CoA Chairs for the tremendous efforts de ployed 
to reach this decision today that we will soon gavel. We are also proud of having contributed in a 
modest manner to the achievement of this decision through the current Chair of this Committee. We 
would like to also thank the delegation of Costa Ric a for their valuable contribution to reach this 
solution. We would like to particularly thank all delegations who participated in the consultations of 
the Committee on Agriculture for showing flexibility and a spirit of compromise to reach this point 
today . We hope that this will serve as an example and inspiration to produce a greater and broader 
result in this organization particularly in the upcoming Ministerial Conference.  
1.63.   The representative of Iceland  delivered the following statement:  
1.64.   We welcome the positive outcome of today's meeting following the agreement by the 
Membership on the Review of the Bali Decision on TRQ Administration. It shows us that the WTO 
can deliver. But the circumstances under wh ich we meet today are far from normal. One Member – 
Russia – has attacked another Member – Ukraine. The invasion is unprovoked, unjustifiable and 
brutal. This aggression by Russia is causing widespread destruction and unspeakable human 
suffering to the Ukr ainian people. Russia's attack to Ukraine has further set in motion an economic 
shock on a global scale which is very much in today's discussion – caused by reduced global supply 
of food – creating enormous pressure on prices. The cost is already being fel t as we have heard 
today and will disproportionately affect the developing countries. Iceland reiterates its unwavering 
support for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its 
internationally recognized borders. We call on  Russia to cease its aggression and withdraw its forces 
immediately from the territory of Ukraine.  WT/GC/M/19 7 
 
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  1.65.   The representative of Georgia  delivered the following statement:  
1.66.   We note with great satisfaction the unanimous decision taken by the WTO Members on the 
issue of the operation of the Bali Decision on TRQ Administration. Georgia condemns in the strongest 
possible terms Russia's unprovoked, unjustified and premeditated military aggression against 
Ukraine which represents a blatant violation of key principles of the UN Charter and undermines 
international peace and security. We call on the Russian Federation to immediately and without any 
pre-conditions cease its military aggression against Ukraine and withdraw its military forces from 
the territory of a sovereign  democratic State. In conclusion, we reiterate our unwavering support to 
the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its international recognized 
borders.  
1.67.   The representative of Chinese Taipei  delivered the following statement:   
1.68.   We welcome the decision on the TRQ Underfill Mechanism and thank the Committee on 
Agriculture and its Chair as well as the Secretariat for their efforts in reaching consensus on the TRQ 
Administration. The success is much needed at this difficult time. T his is an excellent example for 
WTO Members to reach consensus on other important matters and to deliver solid outcome. We join 
others in expressing serious concerns regarding the war which has seriously disrupted the food 
supply chain. The WTO is the prop er forum to discuss such disruption of food supply chain and food 
security related issues.  
1.69.   The representative of Switzerland  delivered the following statement:  
1.70.   Switzerland welcomes the agreement on the Bali TRQ Mechanism today. We would like to 
thank the CoA Chair and all delegates involved in finding this solution. This is an important sign 
towards our ability to still find consensus. Switzerland shares the concerns expressed by other 
Members today with regard to the current risk of global food insecurity . Switzerland condemns the 
Russian military aggression on Ukraine in the strongest possible terms. Switzerland calls on Russia 
to respect its international obligations and to reverse its actions as well as to withdraw its troops 
and contribute to de -escala tion. Furthermore, to mitigate global uncertainty about international 
markets, we call upon Members to keep markets open and refrain from export restrictions and 
prohibitions wherever possible. Now more than ever, transparency and predictability are crucia l.  
1.71.   The representative of Canada  delivered the following statement:  
1.72.   First, I would like to make a brief statement supporting the adoption of this General Council 
decision – the first multilateral outcome on agriculture since 2015. I would like to thank th e CoA 
Chair for his work in steering Members to a consensus decision on this issue. We like to note the 
hard work of previous Chairs and the contribution of many delegations including the delegation of 
Costa Rica. Overall, we would like to thank all Member s for their pragmatism and constructive 
engagement over the past few years to lead us to reaching a balanced outcome on the future 
operation of Paragraph 4 of the Bali TRQ Underfill Mechanism. As we move towards MC12, I would 
encourage Members to continue to exercise similar pragmatism and exhibit a solution finding spirit 
of the sort we have exhibited in this situation. I would now turn to the very serious issue that many 
other Members have referred to. We consider it necessary today to reiterate that Cana da strongly 
condemns President Putin's unjustifiable, unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine. Russia's 
attacks are causing widespread humanitarian consequences and resulting in the senseless deaths of 
innocent people. This is not just an attack on Ukra ine. This is an attack on international law including 
the UN Charter as well as democracy, freedom and human rights. We are discussing agriculture 
today. Therefore, I want to stress the importance of having a fact-based  discussion on how the WTO 
can respon d to the global food security crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. No one should 
be blinded to the one and only reason that we are facing this crisis. Soldiers from the Russian 
Federation are now laying waste to civilian infrastructure in Ukraine  including the farmland, factories 
and ports that support the production and delivery of a substantial proportion of the world's food 
supply. Absent this military action by Russia, this illegal action by Russia, that infrastructure would 
still be working. Absent this military action, cargo ships would still be transiting the Black Sea. Absent 
this military action, world food prices would not be rising as much as they are. The most effective 
step that could be take n to alleviate food security problems, to al leviate this crisis, would be for 
Russia to end its war and withdraw all its troops from Ukraine. Canada also rejects any suggestion 
that the measures applied by Canada to Russia in response to this illegal aggression limit the ability WT/GC/M/19 7 
 
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  of any other Member including Russia to export or import agricultural products or fertilizers. Finally, 
Canada remains committed to the WTO and to furthering our work here including on the appropriate 
collective trade policy responses to best ensure food security. We look for ward to engaging with 
Members to ensure that agriculture markets remain open and predictable,  and that Members avoid 
implementing unjustified export restrictive measures or other barriers to trade in response to this 
crisis.  
1.73.   The representative of New Zeala nd delivered the following statement:  
1.74.   Like other Members, New Zealand condemns in the strongest possible terms President Putin's 
unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine. Russia's illegal invasion has caused widespread 
humanitarian consequences and ha s resulted in the senseless deaths of innocent people. We are 
now also beginning to see the serious impacts on food supply and prices around the globe. New 
Zealand welcomes the resolution of the Bali Decision on TRQ Underfill Mechanism today. This is no 
small feat and is the result of significant effort by Members and various Chairs of the Committee on 
Agriculture to close this longstanding chapter. Like many other colleagues, we would like to 
acknowledge and very much appreciate the hard work of all of tho se involved. Not only is this a 
momentous achievement for the Committee on Agriculture but also a significant win for the WTO 
and the multilateral decision -making process. It showcases that consensus is achievable. We hope 
to use this positive outcome to s teer our engagement here at the WTO and see inspiration for the 
way forward.  
1.75.   The representative of the Russian Federation  delivered the following statement:  
1.76.   My delegation appreciates the significant efforts invested by the Chairperson of the Committee 
on Agriculture, the interested WTO Members and the Secretariat to reach agreement on the issue of 
the future operation of Paragraph 4 of the Bali Decision on TRQ administration in WT/MIN(13)/39. 
The Russian Federation would like to express its support for the  draft decision contained in the Annex 
to the report by the Chair of the Committee on Agriculture to the General Council in G/AG/32/Add.1. 
In our view, the current language provides appropriate S&D treatment for developing Members. We 
would also like to hi ghlight that the consensus reached today demonstrates proper operation of the 
negotiating function of the WTO. We are looking forward to further achievements on the agricultural 
negotiating track. I feel pity for all participants of today’s meeting who had  to listen to numerous 
interventions which were clearly outside its scope. I assume those interventions to be just part of 
the informational war conducted by certain members against my country. Those members, 
unfortunately, think that the WTO is a relevant  place for such actions. We don’t believe so. However, 
as those interventions were made, I feel obliged to respond and deliver our views on the issues of 
food security, raised by other delegations, as well as reply to false allegations made by some 
Members . 
1.77.   First, Russia denies the blame for the disruption in the international agricultural market. It is 
worth remembering that the pandemic and related protectionist measures of some Members have 
already severely affected global food security efforts in the la st two years. Thus, in 2021 wheat and 
barley have risen in price by 31%. Prices for rapeseed and sunflower oils rose by more than 60%. 
Prices for one of the main nitrogen fertilizers have tripled in the last 12 months. Against this already 
worrying backgro und, in the course of the recent month my country has encountered an 
unprecedented economic aggression from certain WTO Members. Of course, this will to a certain 
degree reduce commodity supplies from the Russian Federation because of disruption of the 
traditional Russian import of seeds, agricultural machinery and tools, plant protection chemicals; 
increase in the cost of freight and insurance of goods from Russia; contractors’ uncertainty because 
of possible repercussions due to the extraterritorial effec t of the sanctions; threats of mass arrests 
of Russian cargo ships and planes; blocking of Russian financial institutions, transportation 
companies, export support agencies. Summing up, it is strange that the same Members who 
introduced a full -scale econom ic blockade against Russia are now accusing it of negatively 
influencing the markets. Are those members so naïve to believe that the risks of the global food 
crisis will disappear while their own restrictive and unlawful measures will stay in force?  
1.78.   Second , we would like to stress that the Russian military forces are acting under strict orders 
to exclusively target military installations while avoiding civilian casualties and damage to civilian 
infrastructure. Russian forces do not restrict the freedom of c ivil navigation and maintain efforts to 
facilitate the movement of foreign vessels from the Ukrainian ports. Moreover, Russia currently 
provides aid to the eastern regions of Ukraine, abandoned by the Ukrainian government, by WT/GC/M/19 7 
 
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  supplying grain crop seeds. We  hope that this will help agriculture producers to sow cereals, corn 
and sunflower seeds this spring to alleviate the rising global demand. Third, Russia highly values its 
reputation as a trusted trade partner in the world. Our specialized agencies are wor king hard to 
mitigate the negative consequences of sanctions for trade with the MENA region countries and 
others. We draw Members’ attention to the fact that the export of grain crops for international 
humanitarian assistance goals proceeds without any res trictions on the basis of decisions of the 
Government of the Russian Federation. Finally, since some Members are repeating the same political 
statements at every meeting, and we learn nothing new from them, I suggest that, in order to save 
our time, they p resent their views collectively and in written form.  
1.79.   The Chair  thanked all delegations for their statements, which had been taken note of. He 
recalled that the matter at hand was the adoption of a decision on Paragraph 4 of the Decision on 
TRQ Administrati on. To respond to the Russia n Federation 's point, h e said that,  as usual at formal 
meetings, statements from all Members would be reflected in the minutes. On the basis of the report 
by the Chair of the Committee on Agriculture, and in light of the deadline that expired that day to 
take a decision on this matter, he p roposed that the General Council adopted the draft decision 
contained in G/AG/32/Add.1.  
1.80.   The General Council so agreed .2 
1.81.   The Chair  congratulated all Members for their pragmatism and constructive spirit – which 
facilitated arriving at a solution. This was t he spirit that should characterize Member's work, and he 
was grateful to all for this positive action. Once again, on behalf of the General Council, he thanked 
everyone, in particular the Chair of the Committee on Agriculture who had worked tirelessly to b ring 
this issue to a close.  
 
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2 The decision was circulated in WT/L/1132.