On 26th May 2022, the Friends of Multilateralism Group (FMG) organized an online brainstorming session on WTO and food security. Ahmad Mukhtar, Senior Economist at the Regional Office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) moderated this session.

 

Simon Evenett, FMG member and Professor of International Trade and Economic Development at the University of St. Gallen; Evan Rogerson, FMG member and Adjunct Senior Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies; Bernard Hoekman, FMG member and Professor of Global Economics at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute shared their views and suggestions on the food crisis and the important role that trade and WTO can play in addressing the challenges. Doaa Abdel-Motaal, Senior Counsellor in WTO Agriculture and Commodities Division shared her comments as the discussant.

 

Nearly 30 participants joined the brainstorming, including members of FMG, Friends of FMG and Punta del Este Group (PEG), Ambassadors/DPRs of WTO members, representatives from related international organizations and experts from renowned universities.

 

The recording of this session can be watched via: https://youtu.be/q3NKLugmbrM.

 

Annex 1: Programme

15:00-15:02

Opening Remarks

Speaker: Mia Mikic (FMG)

15:02-15:05

Introduction

Speaker: Ahmad Mukhtar (FAO)

 

 

15:05-15:45

Presentations

Moderator: Ahmad Mukhtar (FAO)

15:05- 15:15

Speaker 1: Simon Evenett (FMG, on export restrictions)

15:15- 15:25

Speaker 2: Evan Rogerson (FMG, on WTO negotiations)

15:25- 15:35

Speaker 3: Bernard Hoekman (FMG, on WTO regular work)

15:35-15:45

Discussant: Doaa Abdel-Motaal (WTO)

 

 

15:45- 16:30

Discussions

Moderator: Ahmad Mukhtar (FAO)

 

Annex 2: List of confirmed participants

I.FMG/FFMG

Axel Addy (FMG)

Mercedes Araoz (FMG)

Simon EVENETT (FMG)

Harmid Mamdouh (FMG)

Jonathan T. Fried (FMG)

Xiankun Lu (FMG)

Pradeep S Mehta (FMG)

Mia Mikic (FMG)

Victor Do Prado (FMG)

John M Weekes (FMG)

Alan Wolff (FMG)

Brad Mcdonald (FFMG)

 

II.WTO Missions

Egypt: Ahmed Ihab Gamaleldin, Ambassador

Russia: Dmitry Lyakishev, Ambassador

Thailand: Pimchanok Pitfield,Ambassador

The Netherlands: Marcel Vernooij, DPR

 

III. WTO Secretariat

Werner Zdouc, Director, Knowledge and Information Management, Academic Outreach and WTO Chairs Programme

Gabrielle Marceau, Counsellor for Research on Legal Policy, Economic Research and Statistics Division

 

IV.Think Tanks

Peter Van den Bossche, WTI

William Reinsch, CSIS

Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, ECIPE

 

V.Universities

Henry Gao, Singapore Management University