DG's Efforts to Boost Trade Talks

A proposed decision by World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to establish a formal process under the Committee on Agriculture Special Session (CoA SS) to jumpstart agriculture negotiations has caused unease among several members and raised questions about the integrity of the process, according to people familiar with the developments.

Members are working to understand the implications of formalizing the process and appointing facilitators, given that meetings of the Doha negotiating body on agriculture are conventionally held informally. The CoA SS refers to the Doha agriculture negotiating body, which operates under the overarching mandate of the Doha Trade Negotiations Committee.

The Director-General (DG) is convening a Heads of Delegation meeting on October 21 to address concerns raised by members. She is also hosting a green room meeting today, reportedly to dissuade members of the Group of Ten (G10) farm-defensive countries—Japan, Norway, Switzerland, South Korea, and the United Kingdom—from pursuing a facilitator for export restrictions, an issue opposed by Russia, according to sources close to these groups.

Formal Process

In pursuit of formalizing agriculture negotiations, the DG issued a restricted document, Job/TNC/124, seen by WTD, to institutionalize the process. In paragraph five of the proposal, Okonjo-Iweala clarified:
“I want to emphasize immediately that what we are proposing is a formal process under CoA SS—not an informal process. That is why I convened this TNC to make it clear that, if we agree today, this will be a TNC-endorsed formal process under the CoA SS.”

She added:
“As you know, we do not want to waste time arguing about the nature of the process. That is why I am emphasizing this, so that once we agree, we can move forward.”

Referring to the comments by Ambassador Alparslan Acarsoy of Türkiye, chair of the Doha agriculture negotiations, the DG said, “This process does not prevent members from engaging in parallel discussions in various formats to complement and feed into it.”

According to the DG, the process also addresses cross-cutting issues such as transparency and sustainability, with Brazil leading efforts in these areas. “If members wish to engage on cross-cutting issues in parallel, they are welcome, and we will support that,” she stated.

Notably, the Doha mandate on agriculture does not specify cross-cutting issues. This is a novel addition, promoted by Brazil and other members of the Cairns Group of farm-exporting countries, and actively supported by the DG, according to sources familiar with the discussions.

Benchmarks

At the formal TNC meeting on October 14, the DG outlined several benchmarks:

1. Facilitator Nominations: Within two weeks of the meeting, facilitators are to be nominated for dedicated sessions on Public Stockholding (PSH) and Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM), domestic support, market access, export competition, export restrictions, and cotton.
2. Facilitator Implementation: From early November to the winter break, the CoA SS chair will appoint facilitators, establish working groups, and initiate facilitator-led processes.
3. Progress Monitoring: From early 2025 to the summer break, these groups will work towards advancing negotiations, with regular reporting to the CoA SS for transparency.
4. Post-Summer Break Negotiations: After the summer break, outcomes from facilitator-led processes will be presented to the CoA SS for negotiation.

“This is the process and timeline we are proposing for your agreement. This is our best shot at delivering results in agriculture at MC14. Failing to reach a consensus on the process would be irresponsible,” Okonjo-Iweala asserted.

She emphasized her commitment: “I will prioritize agriculture, but only if members are willing to engage. If there is no willingness to progress, I will not dedicate time to it. If you are committed, we will spend as much time as needed to advance these discussions. I urge members to think about potential facilitators—or consider becoming one.”

Concerns and Doubts

Despite the DG's assurances, several members perceive her push for a formal process as an attempt to complicate negotiations, potentially aligning with the interests of the Cairns Group, sources suggest.

Some members argue that bundling mandated issues—PSH, SSM, domestic support, market access, export competition, export restrictions, and cotton—undermines their individual mandates. India, for example, raised concerns about treating all six issues with equal importance, as each has distinct timelines established at previous ministerial conferences, starting with the tenth WTO ministerial conference in 2015. That meeting set a deadline to finalize the PSH and SSM solutions by the eleventh ministerial conference in Buenos Aires (2017). However, the chair’s draft report from that conference, facilitated by former Kenyan Cabinet Minister Amina Mohamed, was blocked by the United States, stalling progress.

Repeated refusals by the United States and the Cairns Group to agree on a permanent solution for PSH and SSM have eroded confidence in the WTO, according to sources.

By reintroducing a formal process, Okonjo-Iweala risks repeating past mistakes, raising doubts about her strategy.

The DG will address these concerns at the Heads of Delegation meeting on October 21. In an email to trade envoys on October 16 (ICN/TNC/9), seen by WTD, she wrote: “Members who raised questions at the TNC on October 14 are encouraged to attend. For transparency, other members are also welcome. I hope this discussion will clarify the facilitator-led process and the path forward.”