WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/AG/GEN/92 
13 September 2010 
 (10-4636) 
Committee on Agriculture Original:   Spanish 
  
 
IICA IN THE WTO COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE WORK PLAN: 
SHORT TERM 2010 AND MEDIUM TERM 2011 
 
Submission by IICA
 
 
 
 The following submission, dated 26 August 2010, is being circulated at the request of the Inter-American Institute for C ooperation on Agriculture (IICA). 
 
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I. BACKGROUND 
1. Agricultural policy and negotiations, and trade in agricultural products are among IICA's 
ongoing priorities.  Since the GATT Uruguay Round and the inclusion of agriculture in the 
multilateral trade negotiations, IICA has adapted its cooperation activities to the new realities 
affecting the agriculture sector, and has analysed their impact on the agrifood sector from the political 
standpoint. 
2. The subject took on a new dimension with the launching in November 2003 of a new 
WTO round of multilateral trade negotiations in Doha, Qatar, known as th e Doha Development 
Agenda, and became a priority for IICA in keep ing with its commitment to support competitive and 
sustainable development of agriculture and the rura l environment.  Given that trade must serve to 
foster the development and wellbeing of our populat ions, especially in rural areas, IICA's concern is 
that these negotiations should suitably accommodate the objectives and interests of the countries of 
the region. 
3. With a view to expanding IICA's work in this  sphere, the Director-General of IICA submitted 
a request in October 2009 to the Chair of the Committee on Agriculture, seeking observer status for 
the Institute.  The WTO Membership examined  the request in March 2010 and the Committee on 
Agriculture granted IICA ad hoc observer status in its regular meetings. 
4. This work plan will accordingly be submitted at  the Committee's forthcoming regular meeting 
in September for circulation to WTO Members. 
II. ACTIVITIES TO BE DEVELOPED 
A. W
ITH THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE  
1. In the short term (2010) 
5. The following activities are under consideration: 
(a) Coordinated identification of possible areas of cooperation to be envisaged in the 
work plan for 2011.  For example: G/AG/GEN/92 
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  (i) Notification of agricultural policies
:  The Committee has noted that its work 
is hampered by delays in the submission of agricultural policy-related notifications in accordance with the requirements and formats adopted in 
1995.  The Secretariat has accordingly drafted a new Handbook on agriculture notification requirement s.  This Handbook will have to be 
circulated in the course of training activities.  Members are also examining a 
series of proposals concerning "good practice" in how to present the information to be notified.  IICA c ould provide support for these initiatives, 
mainly in Latin America and the Caribbean. 
(ii) Joint studies
:  The Committee on Agriculture has an ongoing need to produce 
technical documents that could be dr afted or coordinated by IICA where 
these relate to IICA's geographical sphere (Latin America and the Caribbean).  IICA has experience in preparing this kind of document and could assist the 
Committee with activities of this nature. 
(iii) Good practice handbooks
:  IICA has developed handbooks of good practices 
for participation in international foru ms and for the notification of sanitary 
and phytosanitary measures.  IICA could draw up handbooks of this type in 
coordination with the Committee, to e nhance Members' participation in the 
Committee on Agriculture and improve procedures relating to agriculture notifications. 
(b) Use of the WTO as a showcase for IICA's work
:  IICA could utilize the WTO's global 
coverage as a way of making products of  special interest to its Members better 
known.  For example, it might request time during the Committee's regular meetings to present and circulate the IICA/FAO/EC LAC joint report on the outlook for 
agriculture for 2010 ( Situación y Perspectivas de la Agricultura 2010 ). 
2. Medium term (2011) 
6. Development of the following ac tivities is under consideration: 
(a) Participation by capital-based officials in Agriculture Committee meetings:  One 
medium-term activity is to seek financing to  promote the participation of officials 
from the capitals, and specifically gove rnment officials responsible for 
agriculture-related matters, in the regula r meetings and special sessions of the 
Committee on Agriculture.  As a preliminary step, it would be necessary to conduct a 
diagnostic study of participation by agricu lture ministry officials in the Committee 
and to develop profiles for fundraising projects. 
(b) IICA will be able to support the WTO in its technical cooperation activities directed 
at ministries of agriculture, at bot h hemispheric (Inter-American Board of 
Agriculture) and subregional level (Southern  Agricultural Council;  Central American 
Agricultural Council;  Caribbean Alliance;  other ministerial bodies), or by conveying 
requests for support from such ministerial forums to the Committee on Agriculture. 
(c) Post-Doha Round training:  Once the text on  agricultural modaliti es has been worked 
out, Members will be seeking training or guidance in preparing their schedules of commitments.  The schedules will be drawn up on the basis of the technical parameters established in the documen t.  IICA is following the Doha Round 
negotiations on Agriculture and from the technical standpoint is ready to provide 
Members with such technical training or guidance.  Considering the potentially  G/AG/GEN/92 
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  extensive demand for technical guidance, and should the WTO lack sufficient 
technical staff for the purpose, IICA could provide support for this activity in its 
geographical sphere (mainly Latin  America and the Caribbean). 
B. WITH THE WTO  INSTITUTE FOR TRAINING AND TECHNICAL COOPERATION (ITTC) 
1. Short term (2010) 
7. The following courses of action are under consideration: 
(a) Building up relations with the ITTC:  IICA has worked directly with the ITTC in 
arranging training events on the American c ontinent, which has helped maintain a 
strategic alliance directed at strengthening the technical cooperation provided by IICA to its Member States. 
(b) For 2010, IICA has undertaken to continue supporting the WTO's trade policy 
courses for countries belonging to the Latin American Integration Association (October 2010).  Moreover, the possibility of jointly organizing activities in 2010 
(course on trade and environment, for exampl e) is being examined, given the success 
of the two workshops on intellectual property and on fisheries subsidies held at IICA 
Central Headquarters in 2009.  IICA has the strength afforded by its presence in the 
hemisphere, which fosters stronger ties with the WTO. 
(c) Support for the ITTC in developing and implementing the biennial training plan 
2010-2011.  Having received the ITTC bie nnial plan, IICA has offered comments 
based on its knowledge of training requirements in the Latin American and Caribbean region.  IICA could spread awareness of this plan and essentially promote greater 
participation by public experts in the agri culture sector in training activities carried 
out by the ITTC in the region. 
8. Likewise, IICA places at the ITTC's disposal its network of trade and trade negotiation 
experts, to serve as trainers in future courses in countries of the region. 
2. Medium term (2011) 
9. The WTO has more than 130 reference centres around the world through which it provides 
information on WTO-related devel opments and distance learning opportunities.  IICA not only has a 
distance training centre but also has proven technical capacity in this type of activity.  WTO policy is 
to establish reference centres in regional organiza tions such as IICA to strengthen cooperation with 
such agencies.  Since IICA has observer status in two WTO bodies, it might be feasible to propose 
setting up a reference centre at IICA's Central Headquar ters in San José, Costa Rica, with an emphasis 
on agriculture, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, a nd international trade.  The necessary steps will 
be taken in 2010 to examine whether this can be brought to fruition. 
III. THE AGRICULTURAL TRADE NEGOTIAT IONS WITHIN THE INSTITUTE 
10. The Centre for Strategic and Policy Analysis for Agriculture (CAESPA) will be responsible 
for relations between IICA and the WTO Secretariat and will be the unit in charge of implementing 
this work plan.  Implementation of the plan fo rms part of the CAESPA's functions, which are to 
follow up on implementation-related issues concerni ng the Agreement on Agriculture and progress in 
the negotiations, and to build up capacity in administering agreements that emerge from the 
Doha Round. G/AG/GEN/92 
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  11. IICA is represented in 34 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean and has an 
experienced network of experts in agriculture, inte rnational trade and trade negotiations, strategically 
located both in country offices and at Central Head quarters, through whom the technical cooperation 
activities set out in the work plan will be implemented. 
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