Enhancing Transparency and the COA review process 13 September 2015 - Information session

The Secretariat of the World Trade Organization held on 13 September 2016 an information session on enhancing transparency and the review process of the Committee on Agriculture (CoA). Representatives of Members, Observers and Observer Organizations were all invited to participate in this information session.

The information session included a presentation on online sources of information useful for the work of the CoA, with an emphasis on the Agriculture Information Management System (AG IMS). The AG IMS allows Members access to the complete set of notifications submitted by the WTO Membership. Using the system Members can analyse notified information and search and submit questions and responses in the context of the CoA review process. Delegates got a preview of the upcoming function in the AG IMS for the online submission of agriculture notifications.

In addition, the information session provided a forum for discussion and experience sharing with respect to the preparation and submission of notifications and the implementation of the review process of the Agreement on Agriculture.

The Chair of the CoA made a report to the 14 September CoA meeting. You can access the report here.

10:00‑10:15 : Opening remarks

Evan Rogerson, Director of the Agriculture and Commodities Division, WTO
Garth Ehrhardt, Chair of the Committee on Agriculture

10:15‑11:00 : Session 1: Introduction

Speaker: Javier Ocampo,WTO Secretariat
Overview of the review process and the transparency elements in the AoA and of relevant Committee/Ministerial Decisions and recommendations:

Formats
Frequency
Committee procedures
Additional resources

Presentation

11:00‑12:00 : Session 2: WTO sources of information

Speakers: Wenjing Wu,WTO Secretariat

Documents for the CoA meeting.
Presentation of the Agriculture Information Management System (AG IMS)

Search of notifications
Compliance reports
Analysis of notified information
Questions and Answers
Online submission of notifications (prototype)

Presentation

12:00‑13:00 : Session 3: Notification Practices ‑ Sharing of national experiences ‑ (4 speakers, 10-15 minute presentations)
This session should include speakers from developed and developing country Members. Participants will present their experiences and share best practices in relation to their national notification processes.

Moderator: Diwakar Dixit, WTO Secretariat

Tayutic Mena, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the WTO
Presentation
Alexey Slepchenko, Head of Agriculture and Fisheries Unit, Department for Trade Negotiations, Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation
Presentation
Anne Effland, Senior Economist, USDA, Office of the Chief Economist, United States of America
Presentation

15:00‑16:00 : Session 4: The Review process ‑ Sharing of national experiences ‑ (3 speakers, 15 minute presentations)
This session should include speakers from developed and developing country Members. Participants will present their experiences and share best practices in relation to their participation in the review process of the CoA.

Moderator: Diwakar Dixit, WTO Secretariat

Emerson Cariola Kloss, Counsellor, Permanente Mission of Brazil to the WTO
Presentation
May Chow, Deputy Director, WTO issues, Trade Agreements and Negotiations Directorate Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Presentation
Agata Galinská, Second Secretary, Permanent Mission of the European Union to the WTO
Presentation

16:00‑17:00 : Session 5: Round Table ‑ Challenges and opportunities

Moderator: Lee Ann Jackson, WTO Secretariat

James Brown, First Secretary, New Zealand Permanent Mission
Presentation
Aisha Humera Moriani, Technical Advisor/Counsellor, Pakistan's Permanent Mission to the WTO
Presentation
Fallou Mbow Fall, Head of the Division of Sectoral Policies in the Department of International Trade, Ministry of Commerce, Senegal
Presentation

17:00‑17:30 : Session 6: Wrap‑up and Conclusions

Garth Ehrhardt, Chair of the Committee on Agriculture