Options for Pursuing Agricultural Trade Liberalization
On December 1, IPC will organize a session at the Geneva Trade and Development Symposium at the margin of the WTO Ministerial to address the pros and cons of various negotiating options for the agricultural sector. Presentations will include an examination of sectoral, critical mass, regional and multilateral negotiations, as well as a consideration of how the WTO relates with other international institutions.
Seminar: Climate Change, Agriculture, and Trade: Promoting Policy Coherence
On October 29, ICTSD-IPC Platform on Climate Change, Agriculture and Trade convened a diverse group of internationally respected climate change, agriculture, trade and development experts to address the climate change and food security issues facing the agricultural sector. At the seminar, the ICTSD-IPC Platform released a set of recommendations for policymakers to consider as they respond to these issues.
Conference on the Role of Trade in Food Security
IPC and CSIS brought together distinguished agriculture and trade policy experts to examine role of international trade in establishing food security. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Don Yamamoto, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs addressed participants, and panelists discussed the outlook for the Doha Round and the role of the U.S. in promoting agricultural productivity and trade capacity building.
Strategy for Achieving Food Security in the APEC Region
On November 11, the APEC Business Advisory Council released a "Strategic Framework for Food Security in APEC," which was prepared by IPC. The paper advocates an entire "food system" approach to food security, seeks to establish a High-Level Food Dialogue, calls for an end to export restrictions, and urges the APEC Caucus at the WTO to advance the Doha negotiaions. Read the ABAC press release here.
On September 30, IPC held a WTO Public Forum session on incresing the transparency of SPS measures.
SPS measures are necessary for the protection of human, animal and plant health and important for international trade. Yet, business and exporting countries also express concern about not having sufficient advance notice of new measures, insufficient harmonisation, and a perceived lack of transparency in the development and application of some measures. Participants will explore concrete proposals for improving national adherence to the SPS notification system, for increasing transparency of both existing and new SPS measures, and for how to better estimate the trade impact of SPS measures.
IPC and ICTSD have launched an international platform on Climate Change, Agriculture and Trade. This interdisciplinary platform of climate change, agricultural and trade experts will promote increased policy coherence to ensure effective climate change mitigation and adaptation, food security and a more open and equitable global food system.
About IPC
IPC promotes a more open and equitable global food system by pursuing pragmatic trade and development policies in food and agriculture to meet the world's growing needs. Find out more.
| 
