GENEVA -- Joachim von Braun, director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), will testify tomorrow at the WTO Public Symposium "Multilateralism at a Crossroads," held here May 25 - 27.

Von Braun notes that proliferating bilateral trade agreements marginalize developing countries. He urges the following actions to make agricultural markets and trade work for poor people:

1. Developed countries must reduce their farm subsidies and tariffs.
2. Developing countries must also open their markets.
3. The Doha Round agreement on agriculture must be substantive, not symbolic.
4. Safety and quality regulations should not pose an undue burden on developing country exports.
5. Wealthy nations must provide development assistance to poor countries to complement a trade agreement.

The IFPRI proposal emphasizes an innovative combination of trade policy reform and enhanced development assistance to finance improved market functioning in low-income countries. As per capita income rises and internal markets become increasingly efficient, a country should reduce its agricultural trade barriers and subsidies. Similarly, trade-facilitating aid (for example, for roads and other market infrastructure) should be highest for the least developed countries and should shrink with rising income and improved market functioning.

"Market and trade reforms have great impact on the food and nutrition security of poor people in developing countries. Therefore, it is critical that the agricultural sector have a transparent rules-based global trading system that benefits the poor. Unfortunately, agriculture has long been treated as an exception to the rules, as a special case left outside the trade-liberalization process," said von Braun.

For more information on the symposium, please go to:

For more information, contact:

• Michael Rubinstein, 202/862-5670
  m.rubinstein@cgiar.org
• Michele Pietrowski, 202/862-5679
  m.pietrowski@cgiar.org