WTO trade ministers move to eliminate agriculture export subsidies

WTO members concluded their Tenth Ministerial Conference in Nairobi on 19 December by securing an historic agreement on a series of trade initiatives. The “Nairobi Package” pays fitting tribute to the Conference host, Kenya, by delivering commitments that will benefit in particular the organization’s poorest members.

The Nairobi Package contains a commitment to abolish export subsidies for farm exports, which Director-General Roberto Azevêdo hailed as the “most significant outcome on agriculture” in the organization’s 20-year history.

In particular, four ministerial decisions were adopted, addressing the following:

• export competitiveness through the elimination of many export subsidies by all countries by 2018;
• allowing developing countries to continue, for the time being, public stockpiling for food security;
• the Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM) for developing countries to make recourse to when facing a surge of imports, and;
• a commitment by developed countries to provide duty-free and quota-free access to cotton exporters from less developed countries from 2016, provided that this is compatible with existing agreements.