JOB/AG/224  
 
2 December  2021 
(21-9084) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Agriculture  
Special Session    
 
REPORT BY AMBASSADOR GLORIA ABRAHAM PERALTA TO THE  
COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE IN SPECIAL SESSION  
25 NOVEM BER 2021  
Introduction  
1. As indicated in my convening message, the purpose of this meeting is to discuss the revised 
draft text which I circulated on 23 November in my report to the Trade Negotiation Committee in 
document TN/AG/50.  
2. I decided to postpone this meeting by one day in light of the late circulation of the document 
and to give you time to read it before the meeting.   
3. My introductory statement is going to be short. You have all read the document by now 
including my topic -by-topic description of the state of play and I do not intend to restate them here.  
4. I cannot overemphasize the importance of our meeting today.  
5. We are fiv e days before the start of the Twelfth Ministerial Conference.  
6. My objective today is  to hear your thoughts and views on this text.  
7. As mentioned in my report, this text is a result of a very intensive process of consultations 
following the circulation of m y end of July text and in which all Members were involved either directly 
or through their Group Coordinators.  
8. I have invited you to engage with one another constructively and you have done so.  
9. You have not hesitated to share with one another proposals you  considered necessary to 
address the concerns of the Membership, and to work with one another to identify the most 
promising paths forward towards consensus  to explore ways to narrow gaps and explore textual 
compromise options.  
10. Many useful inputs came out of this process including during the "Room D " process.  
11. Let me again emphasize how  grateful I am to you the Members for your tireless efforts and 
constructive attitude in the talks thus far.  
12. To the extent that the revised draft negotiating text represents a useful contribution to the 
preparations for the Ministerial Conference, credit is due to your hard work, and determination.  
13. But despite this intense engagement, we did not manage to make as  much progress as we 
had hoped on some key issues – especially Domestic Support, Public Stockholding and Market 
Access.  
14. Members have also struggled to find ways to identify a balance across negotiating topics that 
they consider acceptable.  JOB/AG/224  
 
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  15. I urge you all t o acknowledge the gaps in negotiating positions, as well as the implications 
these have for our ability to move forward on our shared agenda. It  is against this background that 
I have decided to issue the revised draft text.  
16. Many Members will consider this  text as less than ideal, insofar as it does not fully reflect their 
initial ambitions. But all Members' positions have to be respected and balanced in a fair manner.  
17. This text reflects the reality of where we are today. It acknowledges the current state of play 
in Members' positions and the difficulties we face in building convergence or narrowing the gaps on 
some key issues.  
18. The elements that are in the text come from you. And the elements that are not in the text 
are not there simply because you were no t in a position to sufficiently bridge the gaps or find the 
appropriate trade -offs. 
19. This text therefore constitutes my best attempt to put on the table a balanced and realistic 
package that could garner the support of all Members for an outcome which all m ay be able to 
accept.  
20. It is our collective responsibility to present to Minsters a text that is manageable. We cannot 
present them with a text that reflects significant divergences in negotiating positions and still expect 
them to bridge these in just a f ew days. This is especially so when we've not been able to do so over 
a period of several months.  
21. Success at MC12 will demonstrate that WTO Members can take steps forward together and 
reaffirm their commitment towards the achievement of our shared objecti ves on food and 
agriculture. It will also prove the WTO's relevance in today's world.  
22. Success at MC12 by finding a realistic compromise preserving Members' main interests will 
prepare for a fruitful post -MC12 negotiation by providing Members with as much g uidance as is 
possible under the circumstances on all the topics under negotiation and delivering some immediate 
outcomes.  
23. Success at MC12 will ensure last but not least that all the good work undertaken in the last 
months and weeks, including on the issue s where convergence could not be found , is not lost.  
24. This text does not represent the end of the road for our negotiations, but rather a major 
confidence -building milestone to reinvigorate the negotiation process towards MC13 and future 
ministerial conferences.  
25. It will be Ministers' responsibility to find solutions to the remaining issues next week.  
26. My sincere hope is that this text constitutes a significant step forward in the right direction to 
help Ministers in their task at MC12.  
27. I expect to hear your  candid assessment of the text and how we could utili ze the next few 
days in the best possible manner to prepare the negotiations on agriculture at the Ministerial 
Conference.  
Conclusion  
28. I listened very carefully to you. I will reflect on your views and po sitions expressed during this 
meeting.  
29. My door remains open to those of you willing to see me in the coming days.  
30. I will also consider the possibility of holding some last consultations in the coming days if I 
deem it useful to contribute to the best possi ble preparation of discussions at the Ministerial level.  JOB/AG/224  
 
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  31. Once more, I think that, if Members can continue to demonstrate commitment, goodwill and 
flexibility, a successful Ministerial Conference is within reach. Let  us keep that goal in sight and 
redouble our efforts to ensure that the success of MC12 enables trade to contribute positively to the 
achievement of our shared objectives for the future.  
32. I remain fully committed to facilitating convergence and will do everyth ing humanly possible 
to work with you all in the coming days before and during the Ministerial Conference to achieve a 
positive outcome on agriculture at MC12.  
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