World hunger increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, as nearly 193 million people faced acute food insecurity in 2021—a jump of 40 million compared to 2020. The ongoing war in Ukraine has compounded this global food crisis, contributing to skyrocketing food prices. In April 2022, the FAO Food Price Index increased by almost 30% from the previous year. MC12 is an opportunity for WTO members to take steps to make the global trading system better able to deal with food crises.

This round table discussed the role of the WTO in the prevention and mitigation of food crises. It sought to identify the MC12 agriculture negotiation areas that are most relevant for the food security of WTO members; gaps in the WTO agriculture negotiations that are a priority for the food security of WTO members; and opportunities for cooperation between the WTO and other international organizations to increase the global food system's resilience to crises—to both limit the occurrence of food crises and mitigate their effects when they occur.

Moderator

• Jonathan Hepburn, Counsellor, World Trade Organization

Speakers

• Valeria Piñeiro, Senior Research Coordinator, International Food Policy Research Institute
• Sophia Murphy, Executive Director, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
• Annelies Deuss, Agricultural Economist, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
• Ranja Sengupta, Senior Researcher, Third World Network