The World Trade Organization oversees the rules-based framework within which many national decisions about how to channel government support to the agriculture sector in a more environmentally sustainable manner are being contemplated. This event aims to open a window into the debate within the WTO about the role of the organization, its rules and its leadership should play in this effort.
This session will provide a window into the complex WTO discussions around greening subsidies, aiming to give Geneva and non-Geneva participants alike a comprehensive picture of the issues, the positions of major players and how the discussion is likely to evolve.
Every year, between 500 and 700 billion US dollars are spent by governments around the world to support their agricultural sectors. This spending takes place under the rules and within the limits negotiated multilaterally under the WTO Agreement on Agriculture. With environmental and climate imperatives increasingly at the heart of policy discussions, governments, civil society groups and farmers are discussing how subsidies could change to support greener, more sustainable food systems.
With the WTO itself, the rules around subsidies to agriculture have been a consistent source of disagreement among the membership. Despite a clear mandate, numerous proposals and intense work in Geneva, the differences among the membership have to-date proven too wide to bridge. The emergence of a strong sustainability component into this already complex conversation presents both new prospects and some fresh challenges. This session serves to elucidate and unpack both.
