TREATMENT OF LDCS AND NFIDCS UNDER WTO AGRICULTURE RULES

NOTE BY THE SECRETARIAT^[1]

1.1.  At the Twelfth Session of the Ministerial Conference, Ministers adopted a Declaration^[2] on the Emergency Response to Food Insecurity. Paragraph 8 of the Declaration mandates a work programme to be elaborated under the auspices of the Committee on Agriculture to examine ways for the Decision on Measures Concerning the Possible Negative Effects of the Reform Programme on Least-Developed and Net Food-Importing Developing Countries (_Marrakesh Decision) to be made more effective and operational and to, inter alia, consider the needs of LDCs and NFIDCs to increase their resilience in responding to acute food instability by considering the best possible use of flexibilities to bolster their agricultural production and enhance their domestic food security as needed in an emergency. The Committee considered the issue of the elaboration of work programme at its June and September 2022 meetings. The Secretariat was requested at those meetings to prepare a compilation of flexibilities available to Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Net Food‑Importing Developing Countries (NFIDCs) under the existing WTO agriculture rules. The present note has accordingly been prepared to assist the discussions on the mandated work programme.