As WTO Turns 25, Agriculture Ministers Face Challenge

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Addressing a group of agriculture ministers at the 12th Global Forum for Food and Agriculture in Berlin over the weekend, World Trade Organization (WTO) Deputy Director-General Alan Wolff highlighted the need to harness the power of multilateral trade agreements to meet the complex challenges facing the agricultural sector. In the run-up to the 12th Ministerial Conference in June, ministers need to work together, he said, to reform WTO rules. This would not only result in increased production in a sustainable manner but would also have a positive impact on the environment. Specifically, Wolff explained solutions will be needed in at least six areas: improving agility, increasing transparency, achieving balance, benefitting from the global digital economy, increasing sustainability, and rebuilding dispute settlement. The WTO turns 25 years old this month and is facing challenges by the United States and others to make needed reforms in areas of dispute settlement and enforceability.