WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12), 12-17 June 2022

The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) took place in Geneva on 12-17 June. Ministers concluded a package of agreements and declarations, the so-called “Geneva Package.” Most notably, they concluded an agreement on Fisheries subsidies. The agreement contains an article on technical assistance, which provides considerable scope for FAO to support Members to strengthen institutional capacity, fisheries management, data collection, analysis, and reporting in the fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. Of particular interest to FAO, Members also agreed on a Ministerial Declaration on the Emergency Response to Food Insecurity. This document confirms the link between agriculture, trade and food security and could serve a reference point for FAO’s work in this area. FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu welcomed these outcomes of the WC12 and said that “they constitute an important step towards an inclusive, balanced and fair global trading system conducive to ending hunger and malnutrition.”

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FAO Markets and Trade Division