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• Committee on Agriculture, Special Session

Members discussed the new submissions, one shared by Indonesia and the other by the African Group, at a meeting of the Committee on Agriculture in Special Session on 30 January, along with previous submissions that were put forward in December.

"I cannot overemphasize the urgency of making rapid progress if we are to finalize a workable draft text on agriculture for ministerial consideration at MC14," said Ambassador Ali Sarfraz Hussain (Pakistan), the Chair of the agriculture negotiating body.�

Although no conclusions were reached, participants at the meeting expressed their desire to find a compromise text for ministers to deliberate on when they meet in the Cameroonian capital from 26 to 29 March.

WTO ministerial conferences, which are normally held every two years, are the organization's highest decision-making body. The most recent conference, held in 2024 in Abu Dhabi, ended with no consensus outcome on agriculture.

Compromise sought on guidance for continuation of the negotiations�

The new submissions were introduced by their proponents with the aim of seeking consensus, taking into account the extensive discussions between WTO members at the December meeting. Some of the earlier submissions focused on specific unresolved issues in the negotiations, whereas others were broader in their scope.

Indonesia circulated a draft ministerial decision on promoting food security and resilience in the multilateral trading system. The draft reaffirms that special and differential treatment for developing countries remains an important element of the agriculture negotiations. It sets out a proposed road-map for talks after MC14 on food security instruments, the development dimension of domestic support to the agricultural sector (including for cotton), addressing possible distortive impact on trade in agriculture, and transparency and monitoring of agricultural markets.

The African Group said that after a series of discussions, it had sought to take into consideration the concerns of other parties by putting forward elements that could be part of a potential compromise text. The group's submission draws on inputs from� submissions that had been put forward by other groups and members ahead of the meeting in December, and spelling out specific directions on several outstanding topics in the talks.

In addition to the meeting on the agriculture negotiations, the Chair also convened on the same day dedicated discussions on the purchase of food at administered prices under developing economies' public stockholding programmes, and on a "special safeguard mechanism" which developing economies would be able to use in the event of a sudden surge in import volumes or decline in import prices.

WTO members' reactions

Delegates noted that the submissions had been sent to their respective capitals for review, but many offered preliminary reactions. Many said they were seeking compromise with other WTO members to ensure that time spent on food and agriculture at MC14 is productive and outcome-oriented.

Several delegations stated that a simple declaration or reiteration of formerly agreed mandates and positions would not be sufficient, while others cautioned against inviting ministers to agree on overly specific commitments in the absence of clear convergence among trade officials in Geneva.

Some highlighted the importance of fast-tracking progress on issues that ministers had previously identified as priorities in the talks, while others argued in favour of a comprehensive approach. Several members stressed the need to avoid prejudging the outcome of the negotiations. �

Several members, including those that did not table new submissions on their priority areas, emphasized that realistic expectations for MC14 should not come at the expense of their long-term objectives in the negotiations.

Some trade officials indicated their openness to a declaration addressing core principles around trade, agriculture and food security. Others suggested that the text should also include process-related elements concerning the post-MC14 work programme, potentially offering substantive guiding principles on certain topics. Some officials, however, cautioned that being overly specific could prove challenging given the ongoing divergences. It was also noted that a high-level ministerial discussion aimed at better identifying the root causes of the current stalemate and exploring ways to overcome it would, in itself, constitute a positive step forward.

Members expressed their readiness to advance efforts toward building consensus on an agricultural outcome at MC14 taking into account the submissions presented throughout the day.

The Chair encouraged members to engage constructively with one another to narrow differences and explore possible solutions. He also said he remained ready to help facilitate dialogue between groups and members upon request. He once more emphasized that any outcome on agriculture must ultimately emerge from members' interactions and submissions.

Next steps

The Chair indicated that the next meeting of the Committee on Agriculture in Special Session is tentatively set for 27 February.

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