First Seminar on World Trade Organization Accession: Recent Developments in the Multilateral Trading System in the Agriculture Sector

The first seminar under the CAREC World Trade Organization (WTO) Accession Knowledge Sharing Program aimed to build capacity to facilitate WTO accession in relevant CAREC countries on agriculture-related issues, and to improve the general institutional environment for trade. The seminar explored the following topics:

• main features of the multilateral trading system in food and agriculture, with a focus on the patterns of trade and protection across regions and across economies;
• main features of the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture, the current negotiations in the Doha Round which build upon that Agreement;
• major impacts of trade liberalization;
• likely effect of the Doha Round outcome on producers and consumers, including those in developing countries; and others.

The seminar’s resource speakers included Professor Tim Josling, David Laborde, Will Martin, and Digby Gascoine.

Twenty-six participants from 10 CAREC member countries attended. Most participants were mid-level trade officials handling WTO accession, from ministries for economy, trade, commerce, or agriculture. Four participants were from research institutions.

For more information, please contact Lyaziza Sabyrova, Senior Regional Specialist, Asian Development Bank: lsabyrova@adb.org