RESTRICTED  
  
TN/AG/R/27  
 
31 January 2023  
(23-0696) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Agriculture  
Special Session    
 
SUMMARY REPORT OF THE FORTIE TH FORMAL SPECIAL SESSION  
OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE  
HELD ON 27 JANUARY  2023 
NOTE BY THE SECRETARIAT1 
1. The Special Session of the Committee on Agriculture, established by the General Council 
(WT/GC/M/53), is pursuing negotiations under paragraphs 13 and 14 and other relevant provisions 
of the Doha Ministerial Declaration. The 40th Formal Special Session was held on 27  January  2023. 
As announced in the convening airgram WTO/AIR/TN/AG/ 4 of 26 January  2023 from the Chair of 
the Trade Negotiations Committee, the sole purpose of the meeting was to formalize the 
appointment of H.E. Ambassador Alparslan Acarsoy  (Türkiye) as the Chair person  of the Special 
Session of the Committee on Agriculture  and of the Sub-Committee on Cotton . 
ELECTION OF THE CHAIRPERSON  
2. The WTO D irector -General, Ngozi Okonjo -Iweala , opened the 40th Formal Special Session of 
the Committee on Agric ulture (CoA-SS) in the absence of the previous Chairperson, 
Ambassador  Gloria Abraham Peralta  of Costa Rica . 
3. The Director -General recalled that,  as announced in her communication dated 
26 January  2023, the consultations conducted by the General Council Cha ir had indicated that 
Ambassador Alparslan Acarsoy of Türkiye had the support of Members to Chair the CoA -SS. 
4. She noted that the CoA -SS had been without a Chair since last summer and that it was high 
time that work and discussions in this critically import ant area resume as expeditiously as possible.  
5. It was proposed therefore that, in light of the consensus among Members, the Special Session 
formally appoint Ambassador Alparslan Acarsoy of Türkiye  as the new Chairperson of the CoA -SS 
and of the Sub -Committ ee on Cotton. It was so agreed . 
6. In accepting h is appointment, Ambassador A carsoy  thanked Members for the confidence they 
had placed in h im. He noted that  his responsibilities also cover ed the Dedicated Sessions on Public 
Stockholding for Food Security Purposes and the Special Safeguard Mechanism for developing 
country Members, as well as the Dedicated Discussions on Cotton, all three dedicated meetings 
being held in the Co A-SS. 
7. The new Chair also took the opportunity to commend the efforts of h is predecessor, 
Ambassador  Abraham Peralta  for her dedication and untiring efforts  that contributed immensely to 
the food security outcome we reached at MC12 , as well as previous Chairs for  the work they have 
done, in respect of which he intend ed to build on . He also thanked the WTO Director -General for 
having organi zed the agricultural retreat on 24 October 2022, which  had provided a very useful 
preliminary exchange on the current challenge s faced by the food and agriculture system and on the 
possible way forward in the agriculture negotiation s.  
 
1 This document has been prepared under the Secretariat's own responsibility and is without prejudice 
to the positions of Members or to their rights and obligations under the WTO.  TN/AG/R/27  
 
- 2 - 
 
  8. He noted that he was aware of the enormous work ahead and the challenging role of the Chair 
but was determined to work hard with the support of Mem bers to ensure a positive outcome on 
agriculture at the next Ministerial Conference .  
9. Ambassador Acarsoy emphasized the importance of agriculture and food, especially in the 
current environment and noted that access to food was a fundamental right. Given t he vital role of 
trade in ensuring food security for all, it was WTO Members' duty to further improve global 
agricultural trade rules to put food on the table for everybody.  
10. The Chair finally observed that with barely 12 months left before the 13th Ministe rial 
Conference, Members were at a critical crossroad and faced difficult choices. After two failed 
attempts to deliver in the agriculture negotiations at Ministerial Conferences, reaching a successful 
outcome at MC13 was more critical than ever. He invite d Members to immediately engage with the 
right approach in order to overcome entrenched differences that have thus far stymied progress.  
11. The Chair concluded by announcing his intention to immediately start consulting with 
delegations and group coordinators  starting in the coming days, with a view to identifying the best 
way forward to ensure a successful outcome on agriculture at MC13. His door would always remain 
open to any delegation interested in meeting with him. He stated that after the consultations,  he 
would convene an informal open -ended meeting of the Special Session to report on his first round 
of consultations and have an exchange of views on the way forward.  
12. The meeting was closed . 
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