According to the United Nations News Centre, a recently agreed sustainable development goal to eradicate world hunger has been strengthened by the two leading international agencies in the food safety and trade industries: the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).
This initiative is to aid in the promotion of international food trade and safety, the improvement of nutrition, as well as the better access to international agricultural markets and local produce.
In a press release, FAO Director General Jose Graziano da Silva said that the agency is looking forward to ensure fair trade of agricultural and food products through this stronger (FAO-WTO) partnership and collaboration.
These "extremely significant breakthroughs" tend to go beyond reinforcing food safety and trade standards, tapping capacity-building for producers among developing countries and addressing global hunger.
"On the one hand trade is likely to play an increasing role in meeting the growing demand from food-deficit countries. On the other hand, greater trade openness may undermine the capacity of local people to produce their own food," as he was quoted at an event at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.
Graziano da Silva also warned that such failure to reach a balanced solution on issues relating to production and trade of agricultural products might obstruct the international community's recently agreed sustainable development targets to resolve global hunger.
On the other hand, WTO's Director General Roberto Azevedo stressed that the organization seeks to make sure that the international trading system works for all, "something that is fair and balanced". "In a way, this supports growth and development and allows people to access the goods and services that they need, including food," he further explained.
Basically, the role of agriculture especially in improving the lives of people among the least developed countries is set to be high on the agenda. Issues on trade restrictions that impact imports, such as the lowering of tariffs, the need to minimize domestic agricultural subsidies, the distortions these programs produce as well as the need to eliminate export subsidies would also be discussed and assessed.
