Many developing countries are supporting a proposal from Guyana to prioritize the unresolved mandated issues in the World Trade Organization agriculture negotiations, such as the permanent solution for public stockholding programs for developing countries, the special safeguard mechanism and cotton. The proposal calls for accelerated treatment of the mandated issues through text-based negotiations at the Doha negotiating body.
The proposal was presented to the Committee on Agriculture December 4. However, the Cairns Group of farm exporting countries led by Australia, the farm defensive countries like the European Union, and the Group of 10 countries led by Switzerland are understood to have maintained that all issues in agriculture are linked, implying that the unresolved mandated issues cannot be treated on a standalone basis as per the past ministerial mandates, said people familiar with the developments.
In a similar vein, the United States opposed the prioritization of certain issues over others, citing this as the cause of the longstanding stalemate in agriculture. “Pretty much everything under the sun has been tried and failed,” Washington said, adding that “prioritizing (certain topics over others) is not engagement.”
At the meeting, the differing positions between a large group of developing countries on the one side and the Cairns Group and farm defensive countries on the other, revealed the continuing tensions, said farm negotiators who preferred not to be quoted.
A day before the CoA-SS meeting, on 3 December, Guyana tabled a restricted document (Job/AG/264) on “Moving Agriculture Negotiations Forward”. The two-page proposal, seen by your correspondent, suggests a way forward on how to break the “gridlock” to advance the agriculture negotiations that are currently stuck over process-related issues.
Coming days before the Doha Trade Negotiating Group meeting on 12 December, the Guyanese proposal reaffirms the 2014 General Council Decision “to pursue negotiations on a permanent solution on public stockholding programs for food security purposes as a priority and to agree and adopt a permanent solution by December 2015 and these negotiations be held in the Committee on Agriculture in Special Session (CoA-SS) in distinct dedicated sessions and in an accelerated time frame”, the 2015 Nairobi ministerial decision on a special safeguard mechanism and other decisions.
Guyana proposed the following options for moving the talks forward:
In conclusion, Guyana said, “the CoA-SS is invited to consider the options above as possible ways forward to achieve common positions with the aim of the existing gridlock.”
Developing countries, including India; Egypt; the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and G33 developing country members, supported Guyana’s proposal on prioritizing negotiations on mandated issues. The African Group, the CARICOM Group of Caribbean countries and South Africa expressed willingness to discuss all issues and consider constructive approaches.
However, the Cairns Group members led by Australia, Brazil, Thailand, Canada, Guatemala and Uruguay, as well as farm-restrictive countries like the European Union Japan, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom said all issues in agricultural negotiations are interlinked and should be discussed together, said people familiar with the discussions.
Brazil is understood to have at the meeting that transparency, sustainability and food security must not be treated as separate issues but should be integrated into the broader discussions.
The United States stuck to its continued stand that the unresolved ministerially mandated issues on a stand-alone basis, suggesting the need for balanced and inclusive negotiations where all members can benefit. Washington commended the African Group and the Cairns Group for their collaborative approaches and encouraged all members to engage with each other. The United States also supported Brazil’s sustainable agriculture initiatives, urging members to shift their mindset and discuss new issues to break the deadlock.
The EU supported the preparation of draft texts by the Chair but stressed that text-based negotiations should follow sufficient convergence on substantive issues. Brussels called for considering contemporary challenges such as food security and sustainability and urged members to rebuild trust through constructive engagement.
China apparently called for a shift in mindset and fact-based discussions on each negotiation pillar to achieve fair and equitable rules. Like the EU, China emphasized the importance of addressing food security and sustainability, aligning with Brazil’s sustainable agriculture initiatives, and exploring new possibilities through collaboration and broader stakeholder engagement.
Earlier, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan called for deciding issues in the Doha agriculture negotiating group based on the principle of “consensus”, said negotiators who preferred not to be identified.
Even the African Group which has held consultations with the members of the Cairns Group of farm exporting countries, demanded that the facilitator-led-process, as proposed by the World Trade Organization’s Director-General, must be based on “consensus” and not “convergence”, said people familiar with the development.
The three countries, in their restricted proposal, Job/AG/263 proposed that the “agriculture negotiations on mandated issues like PSH (public stockholding programs for food security in developing countries), SSM (special safeguard mechanism for developing countries) and Cotton should take place in the CoA-SS, led by the CoA-SS Chair, in an accelerated timeframe for an early decision and adoption, through an open, inclusive and transparent process, as per the mandate given by Ministers.”
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