ENHANCING THE ROLE OF THE WTO TRADE FACILITATION AGREEMENT
IN PROMOTING FOOD SECURITY

COMMUNICATION FROM THE UNITED STATES

The following communication, dated 18 September 2023, is being circulated at the request of the delegation of the United States.

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1  Introduction

1.1.  According to the World Food Programme (WFP), the world is experiencing the largest food and nutrition crisis in modern history. Across the 79 countries in which WFP operates and regularly collects data, an estimated 345 million people are acutely food insecure.^[1] There are many underlying factors contributing to the crisis. Some are ongoing and long-term challenges, while others are attributed to shocks and conflicts disrupting food production and trade. In order to address these factors, short-term urgent interventions to provide life-saving food and nutritional assistance should be coupled with longer-term resilience efforts.

1.2.  As the United States expressed in its communication "The World Trade Organization's Role in Enhancing Food Security"^[2], trade and transparent, predictable, open markets are vital components in addressing each dimension of food security (i.e., availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability). Implementation of the WTO agreements by WTO Members has improved global food security through the promotion of transparency and strong trading rules and science-based regulatory systems. However, more can be done to ensure that WTO Members fully avail themselves of all the benefits accorded by the WTO agreements to facilitate global trade and reduce poverty while enhancing food security.

1.3.  In this communication, the United States highlights the role that robust implementation of the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA) can play in improving the safe, quick, and cost-effective movement of agricultural and food products (agri-food) to where they are needed. The effective implementation of the TFA in areas that directly support agri-food trade contributes to long-term economic and food security resilience through reliable food trade. Effective implementation also ensures the dependable delivery, when needed, of food assistance.