WTO and FAO Strengthen Partnership to Tackle Food Security, Trade, and Fisheries

The World Trade Organization (WTO) Secretariat and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reaffirmed their growing cooperation during a Partnership Review Meeting held in Geneva on 19 September 2025. The review assessed the impact of the collaboration, celebrated joint achievements, and set out future priorities, building on the Memorandum of Understanding signed at COP28 in December 2023.

Building on Shared Priorities

The partnership has been shaped by the priorities identified at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12) in Geneva in June 2022, where members adopted the Ministerial Declaration on the Emergency Response to Food Insecurity and the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. Both organizations have since worked hand in hand to respond to global challenges:

• Fisheries subsidies negotiations were supported by FAO’s technical expertise and data, ensuring that the agreement reflected sustainable development priorities.

• Joint support has been extended to WTO members through the WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism, helping countries implement their commitments effectively.

This joint effort represents a practical demonstration of multilateral collaboration at a time when food insecurity, climate change, and supply chain disruptions are placing heavy strains on global markets.

Concrete Results from Collaboration

The WTO–FAO partnership has already delivered a number of notable successes:

• The WTO Symposium on Trade and Nutrition in December 2024, inspired by FAO’s flagship State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, highlighted the vital intersections between trade policies, food systems, and nutrition outcomes.

• The two organizations joined forces to combat the Jasside pest outbreak affecting cotton and other crops across West Africa. This included technical cooperation and field-level action to protect farmers’ livelihoods.

• Joint involvement in World Cotton Day 2024, held in Cotonou, Benin, strengthened international awareness of cotton producers’ challenges and opportunities.

• FAO contributed to the WTO’s “Evolving Table” on Cotton Development Assistance, the organization’s core reference document tracking development support for cotton.

These outcomes demonstrate how the WTO’s global trade mandate and FAO’s technical expertise can complement each other to address food security, agricultural trade, and rural development.

Leadership Perspectives

Senior leaders from both organizations emphasized the importance of the partnership during the review.

WTO Deputy Director-General Jean-Marie Paugam highlighted the proven value of the collaboration:

“Our complementarity has already proven its worth in the fisheries negotiations, and there is huge potential for it to further support our work in agriculture and cotton. This collaboration delivers tangible, high-quality results for our members.”

FAO Chief Economist Máximo Torero underscored the urgency of their joint mission in the current global climate:

“Our partnership comes at a time of exceptional global challenges. Food insecurity remains high while climate extremes, conflicts, macroeconomic shocks and supply chain disruptions increase uncertainty in global markets. Open agrifood trade and well-functioning commodity markets are not a luxury—they are a lifeline.”

Looking Ahead

The review concluded with a joint commitment to deepen cooperation in agricultural negotiations, particularly in areas central to food security, trade facilitation, and sustainable development. Future work will focus on:

• Implementation of WTO agreements, including the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) agreements, where FAO contributes as an observer.

• Expanding joint responses to climate change-related agricultural challenges, including support for smallholder farmers and vulnerable economies.

• Strengthening global trade and agricultural data sharing, ensuring policymakers have access to reliable information for decision-making.

A Shared Vision for Resilient Food Systems

The WTO–FAO partnership stands as an example of how multilateral organizations can work together to address the most pressing issues of our time. By combining trade rules and agricultural expertise, both organizations are helping countries not only meet immediate challenges like food insecurity but also build resilient, sustainable, and fair global food systems.

As the world faces increasing volatility, this collaboration reaffirms that effective multilateralism remains key to tackling interconnected challenges at the crossroads of trade, agriculture, and sustainable development.