WTO FAO Outline Impact Of Cooperation In Support Of WTO Members' Priorities

(MENAFN- Caribbean News Global) SWITZERLAND / ROME – The World Trade Organization (WTO) Secretariat and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) held a Partnership Review Meeting in Geneva on 19 September 2025 to look into the impact of the cooperation between the two organizations. Building on the Memorandum of Understanding signed at COP28 in December 2023, the review highlighted progress across many areas, success stories and lessons learned, while setting out next steps for the partnership.

The two organizations have been working closely to respond to members' priorities identified at the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in Geneva in June 2022. These include the Ministerial Declaration on the Emergency Response to Food Insecurity and the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. FAO expertise and data have supported the fisheries subsidies negotiations, while the two organizations are jointly assisting members with implementation of the Agreement through the WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism.

The WTO–FAO partnership has delivered concrete results in many areas, drawing on the skills, expertise, and mandates of both organizations. The WTO Symposium on Trade and Nutrition in December 2024, which explored the critical intersections between global trade policies, food systems and nutritional outcomes, was inspired by FAO's flagship State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report. The partnership has also supported joint action to combat the impact of the Jasside pest on cotton and other crops in West Africa, collaboration on World Cotton Day 2024 held in Cotonou, Benin, and contributions to the Cotton Development Assistance“Evolving Table”, the WTO's core document on cotton development assistance.

WTO deputy director-general Jean-Marie Paugam said :

“I'm truly delighted with the WTO–FAO partnership. Our complementarity has already proven its value in the fisheries negotiations, and there is a huge potential for it to further support our work in agriculture and cotton. This collaboration delivers tangible, high-quality results for our members.”

FAO chief economist, Máximo Torero, added:

“Our partnership comes at a time of exceptional global challenges. Food insecurity remains high while climate extremes, conflicts, macroeconomic shocks and disruptions in supply chains increase uncertainty in global markets. Open agrifood trade and well-functioning commodity markets is not a luxury, it is a lifeline.”

Looking ahead, both organisations committed to strengthening collaboration on ongoing agricultural negotiations, and implementation of WTO agreements, including sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS) and technical barriers to trade (TBT) agreements, where FAO regularly participates as an observer organization.

The post WTO – FAO outline impact of cooperation in support of WTO members' priorities appeared first on Caribbean News Global .

MENAFN19092025000232011072ID1110085044