Roundtable explores WTO’s role in food crisis prevention and mitigation (IISD) 

IISD (International Institute for Sustainable Development) published a summary of a roundtable, organized by IISD, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), and IFPRI as a part of IISD’s second Trade and Sustainability Hub discussed how World Trade Organization (WTO) rules can better prevent and mitigate food crises. Participants highlighted that export restrictions have become a particularly pressing issue for international agro-food trade transparency, as some countries have reacted to the current food crisis by imposing export restrictions on key foodstuffs like wheat. (See tool, Food & Fertilizer Export Restrictions Tracker). Valeria Piñeiro, a Senior Research Coordinator, outlined problems with export restriction transparency in the WTO, including low rates of notification and late notifications that are primarily caused by “not a lack of capacity, but a lack of political will.” She mentioned the detrimental long-term consequences of export restrictions and provided data on how developing countries suffer the most from export restrictions. Piñeiro suggested that long-term work on transparency allows developing countries to receive compensation for eliminating export restrictions.