Food & Agricultural Trade Policy Council MINISTERS MUST AGREE ON A COMMON FRAMEWORK FOR AGRIULTURAL TRADE TALKS IN CANCUN

After failing to launch a new round of global trade negotiations in Seattle, political leaders invested tremendous capital to ensure a successful launch of the Doha Development Agenda. Since the successful launch of the Doha Round, negotiators have missed several key deadlines for agriculture as well as for other issues of critical importance to developing countries. If the Doha Round is to avoid a serious and potentially fatal impasse at the September Ministerial meetings in Cancun, political leaders from developed countries, as well as from developing countries must make trade a top political priority. In the remaining weeks before the Cancun Ministerial Meeting in September, they need to mobilize substantial political capital to make meaningful progress on agriculture as well as on other issues.