JOB/AG/217  
 
15 September  2021 
(21-6858) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Agriculture  
Special Session    
 
 
REPORT BY AMB ASSADOR  GLORIA ABRAHAM PERALTA  TO THE  
COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE IN SPECIAL SESSION  
7-8 SEPTEMBER 2021  
1.   As I have already stressed on several occasions, the current status of the agricultural 
negotiations has to be put in perspective.  
 
2.   First, the broad picture. Global markets for food and agriculture face significant challenges and 
remain highly distorted.  
 
3.   The cons equences of this are borne by both producers and consumers, especially the most 
vulnerable ones.  
 
4.   So, we all have a role to play in helping to update the global trade rulebook and in moving 
towards a fair, inclusive, predictable, resilient, and more open market -oriented agricultural trading 
system.  
 
5.   Progress towards this goal will contribute to addressing  critical challenges such as food security, 
poverty alleviation, and economic development – all these are long overdue. T he climate crisis also 
means the costs of inertia are only growing.  
 
6.   Second, the overall WTO agricultural negotiation context.  
 
7.   The Uruguay Round concluded more than 25 years ago, and the agricultural negotiations aimed 
at continuing the reform process pursuant to Article 20 of the Agreement on Agriculture have still 
not been concluded.  
 
8.   Despite concrete achievements, and in particular the December 2015 Nairobi Decision to 
eliminate export subsidies , much more needs to be done.  
 
9.   And there has not been any outcome in the agricultural negotiations in the last six years.  
 
10.   Third, the overall WTO context. Beyond agriculture, the negotiating function of the organization 
has not delivered as many concrete outcomes as Members initially expected. This is one of the main 
challenges that Member s are considering as part of the broader WTO reform discussions.  
 
11.   Trade in food and agricultural goods has been and will remain at the core of the activities of 
the organization in view of its critical importance for many Members, especially those which ar e most 
vulnerable.  
 
12.   Fourth, the COVID -19 pandemic has contributed to a dramatic rise in hunger and malnutrition, 
alongside its other economic and social consequences. By improving the functioning of food and 
agricultural markets, WTO Members can help make  a meaningful contribution to the recovery . 
 
13.   So, while an outcome on agriculture at MC12 will not provide a comprehensive solution to all 
the issues at stake, it is critical for the WTO's credibility to rebuild trust, lay out a path forward, and 
galvanise political engagement. I know that you have all emphasi zed this in your statements in 
recent months.  
 
14.   So, where are we now?  JOB/AG/217  
 
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  15.   We have only two and a half months left at best to prepare a text for the consideration of our 
Ministers at MC12.  
 
16.   As you are all awa re, the format of the Ministerial Conference remains uncertain because of 
the evolution of the pandemic.  
 
17.   This may have some significant ramifications on Members' ability to negotiate effectively during 
the Conference itself.  
 
18.   And we cannot risk presenting  our Ministers with an unmanageable workload on the eve of 
MC12.  
 
19.   We therefore need to start working intensively now if we are to be able to present a fully 
stabilized text in advance of the Ministerial Conference. This will be an important precondition for 
success.  
 
20.   With this in mind, the draft text circulated on 29 July in JOB/AG/215 is meant to help you 
achieve progress on your shared objectives, and to change gear after months of intense discussions 
to engage in focused, text -based negoti ations.  
 
21.   As such, it reflects and builds on the collective work undertaken so far, including the valuable 
work of the Facilitators in their respective negotiating areas.  
 
22.   The draft text was prepared taking into account all submissions circulated to date, a s well as 
comments and reflections in the various negotiation sessions.  
 
23.   But it is also important to remember this draft text is only a "tool". 
 
24.   Members themselves must want to achieve progress. Members themselves must want to 
negotiate. And Members themselves need to be in the driving seat on the road to MC12.  
 
25.   I am sure that, for each of you, there will be elements of my draft text that you do not like. 
This is to be expected for what is essentially a compromise text. What is necessary now is for yo u 
to engage with one another, consider what kind of text could be acceptable to you all, and evaluate 
which ideas might most reasonably garner consensus.  
 
26.   If we are to have any hope of making progress on the challenges we face today, we must be 
ready to ma ke compromises, listen to one another, and work together towards a common 
understanding.  
 
27.   It is also important to remember that this draft text is not the last word. Instead, it must be 
seen as a starting point – a springboard which I hope will launch us t ogether on our final trajectory 
towards MC12.  
 
28.   I would hope and expect that the text will go through further iterations before the Conference , 
based on Members inputs and suggestions.  
 
29.   If we fail, trade will not stop. And outside the WTO, national policies  and preferential trade 
deals will continue to shape markets for food and agriculture. But there is no guarantee that the 
result will reflect the future we want. There is no guarantee that it will reduce instability on global 
markets. And there is no guara ntee that it will help address the challenges faced by our most 
vulnerable producers and consumers.  
 
30.   So, it is up to us, collectively, to help to rebuild trust. Together, we can take steps that 
demonstrate how better rules on farm trade can address the challenges in today's world. The time 
for long speeches is over. We now need to roll up our sleeves and get  down to work.  
 
 
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