WTO
DG calls on Brazil’s Support in Preventing Food Crisis, Seeks Leadership
towards MC12
Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala concluded a two-day trip to Brazil on 18-19
April, her first to Latin America as head of the WTO, meeting government
officials, parliamentarians and businesspeople. She thanked Brazil for its
constructive role in the WTO, highlighted the country’s potential role in
alleviating risks of a food security crisis linked to the conflict in Ukraine
and acknowledged the government’s concerns about the difficulties in securing
fertilizers. She also sought Brazil’s continued and strong support for
multilateralism and a fruitful 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12).
DG Okonjo-Iweala met President Jair Bolsonaro,
Foreign Minister Carlos França and other senior
government officials in Brasilia on 18 April. She also held meetings with
parliamentarians and agribusiness sector representatives and delivered a lecture at
the Rio Branco Institute, Brazil’s diplomatic
academy.
The
Director-General thanked President Bolsonaro for
Brazil’s commitment to the WTO and its pragmatic and forward-looking positions
in negotiations towards new agreements and in the day-to-day work of the
Organization’s bodies. She urged Brazil to play an active role in adding to
global food supplies to mitigate a global food security crisis brought about by
the reduced availability of agricultural exports from Russia and Ukraine, a
call which was well received by the President. She acknowledged President Bolsonaro’s concerns about the conflict’s impact on trade
in fertilizers, a key input for increasing yields that would allow Brazil to
expand food exports to help combat food insecurity.
“We
need those of our members who are agricultural powerhouses to step up and put
more food in the international market. The President and the Minister have
asked us to raise this fertilizer issue to see what can be done,” she told
reporters after her engagements in Brasilia. The Director-General also asked
President Bolsonaro for Brazil’s continued leadership
in support of a fruitful 12th Ministerial Conference, to be held in Geneva
during the week of 13 June.
Earlier
in the day, meeting with Foreign Minister Carlos França
and other senior officials at Itamaraty, the
Brazilian Foreign Ministry, the Director-General
discussed the negotiating agenda for MC12. She encouraged Brazil to actively
engage in discussions towards WTO reform, including a fully functioning dispute
settlement system — of which Brazil has been a frequent and successful user.
DG Okonjo-Iweala welcomed the fact that Brazil participates in
several initiatives by groups of WTO members seeking advances in topics ranging
from e-commerce rules to investment facilitation and improving the
participation of small businesses in international trade. She also praised
Brazil for being one of 67 signatories to a deal on services domestic
regulation. In addition, she welcomed the country’s active engagement in
discussions relating to the environment. Mr França and DG Okonjo-Iweala also
talked about Brazil’s drive to join the Government Procurement Agreement, which
opens up public sector markets in participating economies.
The
Director-General met with members of the Agricultural Parliamentary Front along
with representatives of several agribusiness associations. Members of Congress
and business representatives called for concrete results in agriculture
negotiations at MC12 and shared their concerns about protectionism in food
markets and the risks of lack of fertilizers connected with the crisis in
Ukraine.
In
São Paulo, on 19 April, DG Okonjo-Iweala spoke with a
group of businesspeople in sectors ranging from the aircraft industry to
pharmaceuticals in a dialogue organized by the Brazilian National Confederation
of Industry (CNI) and São Paulo’s Federation of Industries (FIESP). She
suggested Brazil may benefit from further integration in global supply chains
and that higher productivity growth is vital for Brazilian businesses to “punch
at their full weight” in the world.
Business
leaders expressed their strong support for the multilateral trading system and
its fundamental role in promoting the prosperity of all countries. They listed
some priorities for WTO action, including a fully functioning dispute
settlement system, agricultural trade reform and more transparency and
strengthened rules on industrial subsidies. The Director-General said she was
heartened by the support expressed by the Brazilian private sector for the WTO.
DG Okonjo-Iweala also met a group of female small business
owners, who shared their experiences about starting and expanding their
businesses. Access to start-up capital, credit, new markets and innovation as
well as the need for digital solutions were some issues raised as impediments
to growth. The Director-General talked about discussions at the WTO to make
trade work better for the inclusion of women and micro, small and medium-sized
enterprises. She also highlighted joint work with agencies such as the
International Trade Centre, the Enhanced Integrated Framework and the Standards
and Trade Development Facility to help women entrepreneurs tap into business
networks, access market information and meet global standards.