From September 10 to 13, a delegation from the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO), including experts and leaders from WFO member farmers’ organisations – Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK Finland), Danish Agriculture & Food Council (DAFC), Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), LTO Nederland, National Farmers’ Federation Australia, National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales (NFU), National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi (NASFAM), Norwegian Farmers’ Union (NFU) and Swiss Farmers’ Union (SFU) – along with the WFO Secretary General Dr Andrea Porro and Mr Francesco Brusaporco, Advocacy, Policy and Partnerships Officer, will actively participate in and advocate for world farmers’ interests in the WTO Public Forum 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland.
The Public Forum is the largest outreach event of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It provides a unique platform for interested stakeholders from around the world to discuss the latest developments in global trade and propose ways of enhancing the multilateral trading system.
This year’s Public Forum will convene under the theme ‘Re-globalization: Better Trade for a Better World’ and explore how re-globalisation can help make trade more inclusive and ensure its benefits reach more people.
The WFO Delegation will attend the Forum to ensure that farmers have a voice and a seat at the table when the future of trade is being discussed. It will be an opportunity to showcase a thriving farming sector as a linchpin of sustainable agricultural trade and to advocate for the meaningful involvement of farmers in developing new policy approaches to trade and sustainability.
WFO Participation at the WTO Public Forum 2024
“Sowing inclusivity: rethinking agricultural trade for all”
11 September 2024 | 15:15-16:30 CEST | Room CR
Dr Porro was invited to represent the world farmers in the high-level panel “Sowing inclusivity: rethinking agricultural trade for all.” This debate will consider how trade in agriculture can be improved to ensure more people benefit from it. Panellists will assess the progress of the WTO’s agriculture agenda, including at the most recent Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi, and consider which policies are necessary to build a progressive, inclusive, and sustainable global agricultural sector. The discussion will address whether agricultural policy requires a fundamental rethink.
“Involving farmers in the development of policy approaches to trade and sustainability”
11 September 2024 | 17:00-18:15 CEST | Room S1
The WFO, in collaboration with the members of the WFO Working Group on International Trade, will be hosting a dedicated farmer-led session titled “Involving farmers in the development of policy approaches to trade and sustainability“. This session aims to provide a bottom-up perspective on integrating sustainability considerations in developing a more fair and inclusive global agricultural trading system that contributes to global food security and positive environmental outcomes. Farmers’ representatives from various countries and regions will share experiences of how different policies in different contexts may help or hinder farmers’ efforts to improve the sustainability of food systems. Through the exchange of experiences and lessons, farmers will outline some key common principles to approach the global debate on food security, sustainability, and international trade in an inclusive way.
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