High-level G10 Gathering
Bern, 26.02.2024 - Senior officials of G10 Members (Iceland, Israel, Japan, Korea, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Chinese Taipei) met on 26 February 2024 on the fringes of the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) of the World Trade Organisation in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Upon invitation from Switzerland, the G10 Members discussed current developments in the WTO negotiations on agriculture. They emphasized their willingness to engage constructively in agricultural talks at MC13 and beyond while making sure that their unique perspective is taken into account.
The G10 is a group coordinated by Switzerland, which defends common positions in the agricultural negotiations at the WTO from the perspective of net-food importing countries. Jean-Marc Chappuis, Deputy Director of the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture, chaired a meeting of high-level representatives of G10 Members.
Underlining their common support for a well-functioning and rules based multilateral trading system, G10 Members exchanged views on ongoing agricultural negotiations at MC13. They expressed their support for a successful MC13 with political guidance for the negotiations. Under the precondition that their sensitivities are taken into account, G10 Members confirmed their ongoing efforts to engage constructively in agricultural talks at MC13 and beyond.
As net-food importing countries, G10 Members emphasized the importance of their positions being taken into account in the ongoing agricultural negotiations and stressed the need to consider non-trade concerns in any outcome. The Group remains specifically concerned about the current state of food insecurity, supply disruption and prices at a record high and supported the need for the WTO to make a meaningful contribution to ensure global food security and predictability of international markets. Advancements in the area of export restrictions is perceived by the group as one important element for global food security. G10 Members noted that any work program resulting from MC13 should be balanced, not prejudge the outcome of future negotiations and have global food security objectives at its core.
G10 Members agreed to continue to cooperate closely in WTO negotiations as well as to emphasize the concerns of net-food importing Members and to contribute towards a transformation to more sustainable and resilient agriculture and food systems.
Address for enquiries
Hugo Wyler, Communication and Language Services, tel. +41 58 463 01 07, media@blw.admin.ch
Publisher
Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture
http://www.blw.admin.ch
