Suárez Represents Council At World Trade Organization

Earlier this month, U.S. Grains Council (USGC) Director for Global Sustainability Carlos Suárez participated in a panel discussion at the World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s) Public Forum, organized by the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute and the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for WTO Reform, that focused on how the WTO intersects with sustainable agriculture.

The WTO’s Public Forum is the organization’s largest event for engaging with the public, drawing more than 2,000 participants annually from various sectors to talk about the latest trends in global trade and suggest improvements to the multilateral trading system. Participants include members of civil society, academia, business, government, international organizations and the media.

Suarez represented the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for WTO Reform, a 14-member group comprised of the Council and other U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) cooperators including the U.S. Dairy Export Council, U.S. Wheat Associates, the United States Soybean Export Council, USA Rice and CropLife America.

The coalition recognizes the importance of vibrant international institutions, like the WTO, that support the fair and unimpeded access of U.S. agricultural products to international markets and promotes reforms that lead to a liberalized market agenda for agriculture.

“Having open, predictable and non-discriminatory access to international markets is crucial for U.S. growers to be sustainable, both economically as well as in terms of the production practices that they utilize,” Suarez said during the panel.

Learn more about the Council’s work in sustainability here.