WTO urged to ensure food security in Geneva talks

A United Nations independent expert reminded ministers of the World Trade Organization (WTO) set to meet in Geneva next month to place the right to adequate food on the top agenda of trade rules negotiations as the world faces a looming food crisis, particularly in developing countries. Olivier De Schutter, special rapporteur on the right to food, called for bold policies to ensure food security as ministers of the WTO meet in Geneva on December 15 to 17 to try to revive the Doha Round of negotiations on reducing international trade barriers, as well as discuss the future of the global trading system. "The world is in the midst of a food crisis which requires a rapid policy response. But the WTO agenda has failed to adapt, and developing countries are rightly concerned that their hands will be tied by trade rules," said Mr. De Schutter in a UN statement released on Thursday. "Food security is the elephant in the room which the WTO must address," he said. The Philippines is one of the developing countries facing restrictive and complex rules in the WTO that consequently hurdle efforts to increase food security. He said ministers will gather next month to try to revive talks on the Doha Development Agenda that seeks to remove tariffs and non-tariff barriers and improve trading among members. "We should grasp the opportunity to ask what kind of trade rules will allow us to combat food insecurity and realize the human right to food," said Mr. De Schutter. He noted that "trade did not feed the hungry when food was cheap and abundant, and is even less able to do so now that prices are sky-high." Global food imports will amount to $1.3 trillion in 2011, and the food import bills of the least developed countries (LDCs) have soared by over a third over the last year, he added. Mr. De Schutter stressed that under existing WTO rules, developing countries failed to step up measures to improve local food production. These measures also include temporary import restrictions, state purchase from small-holders, and targeted farm subsidies. "Even if certain policies are not disallowed, they are certainly discouraged by the complexity of the rules and the threat of legal action," he stated. "WTO rules should revolve around the human right to adequate food, not the other way around," said the expert, who reports to the UN Human Rights Council in an independent capacity. “We need an environment that encourages bold policies to improve food security." — KG, GMA News