G-33 Ministers Discuss Agriculture Trade at WTO Conference

The following statement, dated 25 February 2024, is being circulated at the request of the delegation of Indonesia on behalf of the G-33:

1. We, Ministers and Representatives of the G-33 Members, met in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, on 25 February 2024, on the sideline of the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference, to exchange views on the state of play of the WTO agriculture trade negotiations, and to deliberate the Group's priorities on the outcome and the way forward.

2. We recognize the collective responsibility of all WTO Members to address contemporary challenges facing the multilateral trading system.

3. We believe the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference provides an important opportunity to reinforce a rules-based, non-discriminatory, open, fair, inclusive, equitable, and transparent multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, and thank the United Arab Emirates for hosting the Conference.

4. We, therefore, call on all WTO Members to engage constructively to achieve a meaningful outcome on agriculture at the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference.

5. We are deeply concerned that almost 600 million people will be chronically undernourished in 2030, and hunger will increase significantly in Africa by 2030, as recently projected by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

6. We also regret serious lack of progress in agriculture trade negotiations, including to fulfil the outstanding mandates of previous Ministerial Conferences. Progress is key to restore trust between Members and preserve the credibility of the WTO.

7. The vast majority of the G-33 Members recognize the critical importance of public stockholding for food security purposes for developing country Members, including LDCs and NFIDCs, in meeting our food and livelihood security, as well as our rural development imperative, including supporting low income or resource poor producers.

8. The G-33 co-sponsoring Members of the Proposal JOB/AG/229, therefore, urge all Members to make all concerted efforts to agree and adopt a permanent solution on the issue. The G-33 co-sponsoring Members reiterate the importance of the Proposal JOB/AG/229 submitted with the African Group and the African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group, and invite other Members to engage constructively with the elements contained therein, as a basis to achieve outcome on public stockholding for food security purposes in the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference.

9. We also reiterate developing country Members' right to the Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM) as an important instrument against major import surges or sudden price declines, and urge Members to agree and adopt a decision on SSM by the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference.

10. We stand ready to consider the submission by the African Group on the issue of SSM, which covers most of the interests of developing country Members in a fair and balanced manner, and engage in enhanced technical discussions.

11. We, therefore, affirm our commitment in moving forward agriculture trade negotiations in good faith, including after the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference, with a view to correct the imbalances in the Agreement on Agriculture and address unparalleled food security challenges of developing country Members, including LDCs and NFIDCs.

12. Finally, we strongly maintain that Special and Differential Treatment for developing country Members, including LDCs and NFIDCs, must be preserved in the WTO and its agreements, and non-trade concerns of Members must always be taken into account in agriculture trade negotiations.