Virtual Event - Food and Agricultural Trade in the New Policy Environment: How Can WTO Members Support Recovery and Resilience in South Asia?

Please note this event will be at 4:30pm IST / 6:00am EST.

The coronavirus outbreak has affected trade in food and farm goods, imperiling efforts to reduce hunger and malnutrition and adding to pressure already on the farm sector from climate change. The pandemic-induced postponement of the WTO’s next ministerial conference and ongoing tensions among major economies have affected both the substance and process of updating the global trade rulebook. As governments revisit priorities in this new context, they should engage with various constituencies in their region and beyond to build an inclusive public policy vision – one that can contribute to economic recovery and improve resilience to future food system shocks.

With South Asia home to millions of small farmers, and food insecurity a persistent challenge in both rural and urban areas, policies affecting markets for food and agriculture remain highly controversial in the region. While economic growth has contributed to rising incomes and evolving patterns of demand, South Asia’s agrifood sector also faces a growing threat from climate change, including extreme weather events and increasing water scarcity. Designing national policies to address these changes requires national governments to navigate the impact of new measures not only on diverse domestic constituency groups but also on producers and consumers elsewhere in South Asia and beyond. At the same time, with the world’s major economies increasingly pursuing bilateral and regional trade deals, South Asia faces new challenges in advancing its agricultural trade objectives at the multilateral level. 

This will be the fourth in a series of events on the same topic but with a regional perspective. The events will cover Africa, South Asia, and Latin America

Speakers

• Abhijit Das, Professor and Head, Centre for WTO Studies, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi
• Ajay Vir Jakhar, Chairman, Bharat Krishak Samaj (Farmers' Forum India)
• Dr. Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director, Centre for Policy Dialogue, Bangladesh
• Aisha Moriani, Joint Secretary WTO, Ministry of Commerce, Pakistan
• Ambassador Gothami Silva, Ambassador & Permanent Representative, Sri Lanka Mission to the WTO 

Moderator

• Dr. Shahidur Rashid, Director for South Asia, IFPRI