4th Global Conference on Sustainable Food Systems

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Thank you very much for inviting me to this Conference.

Food security is a central issue of our time. The COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the triple environmental crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution have tested the world’s food systems.

For net food-importing developing countries the situation has become particularly challenging. Not only do they face the burden of higher global food prices, they also are affected by depreciating currencies against the US which increase the price of their food imports even more.

In 2022, 345 million people in 82 countries faced food insecurity. As always, it is the most vulnerable that are affected the most.

Trade plays a critical role for food security.

Trade has promoted food security by connecting markets where food is abundantly produced to food-deficient markets.

Trade liberalization policies have resulted in increased competition and access to new markets for food producers. But at the same time, trade liberalization policies have also led to declines in production of local food crops, resulting in higher food insecurity.

Many countries rely on food imports through long, complex, and expensive supply chains.

With the war in Ukraine, countries have responded with trade policy measures concerning the agriculture and fertilizers, such as export bans. As of February 2023, more than 800 trade-related policy instruments are affecting agricultural products and fertilizers.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative has shown, however, the importance of maintaining a stable and predictable international trading system. The initiative helped stabilize global wheat and maize prices, and enabled more than 20 million metric tons of grains and other foodstuffs to be exported from Ukraine.

But there are challenges in the international trade regime with regard to food systems. For example:

Government subsidies and tariffs on agricultural products can distort international trade, leading to unequal competition and unfair pricing.  

Non-tariff measures are a much higher burden for smaller and lower income countries, as well as smaller producers.

Intellectual property rights on agricultural technologies and plant varieties can impact food systems by limiting access to essential agricultural inputs and contributing to market concentration.

Dear friends,

We need to reconsider the global governance architecture for food systems and ensure an equitable and efficient trading system under the WTO for food security.

I want to suggest five actions:

1. More coordination and collaboration of governments, international organizations, and the private sector are needed. For instance, for ensuring that all countries respect their commitments to frictionless trade.
    
2. Food distribution and access should be improved by investing in infrastructure and leveraging trade policies for access to food and affordable fertilizers.
    
3. Domestic and regional supply systems can be developed through national and transborder trade in food products. This lowers logistic costs and imports arrive more quickly than through complex intercontinental supply chains.
    
4. Diverse and sustainable food systems should be encouraged to promote healthy diets, protect biodiversity, avoid food waste and respect the rights of vulnerable and disadvantaged consumers. Consumers should thus be empowered through education about their rights, responsibilities, and choices in food systems.
    
5. The future governance architecture should prioritize climate adaptation and mitigation efforts in the agriculture sector, such as investing in climate-resilient crops and practices, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, and promoting renewable energy sources and the adoption of sustainable agriculture practices.

Much can be done, but great efforts are needed.

I wish you fruitful discussions during the Conference and thank you for your attention.