The coronavirus outbreak has affected trade in food and farm goods, imperiling efforts to reduce hunger and malnutrition and adding to pressure already on the farm sector from climate change. The pandemic-induced postponement of the WTO’s next ministerial conference and ongoing tensions among major economies have affected both the substance and process of updating the global trade rulebook. As governments revisit priorities in this new context, they should engage with various constituencies in their region and beyond to build an inclusive public policy vision – one that can contribute to economic recovery and improve resilience to future food system shocks.

Although the economies of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have seen a major impact from the pandemic, agricultural production and trade have been less affected. Food trade plays an essential role in mitigating potential consumption disruptions and/or losses in export capacities for this heterogeneous region. Some LAC countries are food net importers, others are food net exporters, some produce high value-added crops, and others produce staples. Investing in infrastructure, promoting regional integration, ensuring a stable multilateral trade system, and opening new market opportunities will be key for the region’s economic recovery.

This will be the second in a series of events on the same topic, with a regional perspective. The events focus on Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Panelists

• Flavio Bettarello, Deputy Secretary for Trade and International Relations, Brazil Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply (MAPA)
• Eugenio Diaz Bonilla, Head of Latin America and the Caribbean Program, IFPRI
• Manuel Otero, Director General, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)
• Gloria Abraham Peralta, Costa Rica’s Ambassador to the WTO in Geneva and Chair of the negotiations on Agriculture; Member of the IICA Advisory Council for Food Security in the Americas
• Bosco de la Vega, President, National Agricultural Council of México (CNA)

Moderator

• Valeria Piñeiro, Senior Research Coordinator, IFPRI

A blog will be available in the days following the event.