Members of WTO pledges food security in first declaration issued in over 6 yrs

Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have pledged in the first ministerial declaration in six and a half years to ensure food security amid soaring prices and trade disruptions following the COVID-19 pandemic as well as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Government ministers from around the world have attended a WTO meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.

Trade, Industry and Competition Minister, Ebrahim Patel says they discussed the effects of some of the food bans put in place on essential items.

“The effect of a food ban is to increase food prices, so there are a number of factors that lead to high food prices, and South African consumers are battling high food prices. We went out there to try and get an agreement to reduce and if possible, eliminate these export bans on critical things like cooking oil, wheat, and other products that can only intensify the problem for a country like South Africa, that’s a large importer, particularly of cooking oil,” says Patel.

Trade, Industry and Competition Minister, Ebrahim Patel on the WTO outcomes:
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Patel also says South Africa secured an agreement at the WTO to protect the country’s oceans from overfishing.

“The minimum package will deal with a prohibition on subsidies for illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. So, this is where these big fishing vessels come into our waters, under the flag of one country, which goes into the territorial waters of another country and fishes there illegally. We’ve had this kind of problem along our coastline, particularly from Asian countries, but also some fishing fleets from one European country, “says Patel.

Patel also says an agreement has been reached at the WTO in Geneva that developing countries will now be able to produce COVID-19 vaccines without the consent of the right holder for five years. Patel says they had to fight to reach this resolution.

“First area that we dealt with was a waiver on intellectual on property elements  of the Global Treaty known as TRIPS. WE secured an agreement it was strongly fought agreement. Final conclusion of the agreement came in the early hours of Friday morning.“

South Africa supports the WTO decision to waive intellectual property rights on vaccine production:

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