Worries expressed by India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan vis-a-vis the Agriculture Negotiations under the Facilitation
- India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan voiced concerns over the WTO’s proposal for physical facilitator-led agriculture negotiations.
- India conveys that it does not believe in such a process, saying trust deficit as the main reason why talks do not move forward.
- This proposed facilitator-led technique, where facilitators appointed by the chair of the agriculture negotiations are involved, is deemed as undermining ministerial mandates.
- It was mentioned that agriculture negotiations were to be taken immediately in an open, inclusive, and transparent process for a very early resolution and acceptance by the membership.
- This precedent set by the facilitator-led process raises disturbing principles for how the WTO will work. Any decision affecting the processes of WTO, therefore, needs to already adhere to the procedural norms.
