DG Okonjo-Iweala met President Jair Bolsonaro, Foreign
Minister Carlos França and other senior government officials in Brasilia on 18
April. She also held meetings with parliamentarians and agribusiness sector
representatives and delivered a lecture at the Rio Branco Institute, Brazil’s
diplomatic academy.
The Director-General thanked President Bolsonaro for
Brazil’s commitment to the WTO and its pragmatic and forward-looking positions
in negotiations towards new agreements and in the day-to-day work of the
Organization’s bodies. She urged Brazil to play an active role in adding to
global food supplies to mitigate a global food security crisis brought about by
the reduced availability of agricultural exports from Russia and Ukraine, a
call which was well received by the President. She acknowledged President Bolsonaro’s
concerns about the conflict’s impact on trade in fertilizers, a key input for
increasing yields that would allow Brazil to expand food exports to help combat
food insecurity.
“We need those of our members who are agricultural
powerhouses to step up and put more food in the international market. The
President and the Minister have asked us to raise this fertilizer issue to see
what can be done,” she told reporters after her engagements in Brasilia. The
Director-General also asked President Bolsonaro for Brazil’s continued
leadership in support of a fruitful 12th Ministerial Conference, to be held in
Geneva during the week of 13 June.
Earlier in the day, meeting with Foreign Minister Carlos
França and other senior officials at Itamaraty, the Brazilian Foreign Ministry,
the Director-General discussed the negotiating agenda for MC12. She encouraged
Brazil to actively engage in discussions towards WTO reform, including a fully
functioning dispute settlement system — of which Brazil has been a frequent and
successful user.
DG Okonjo-Iweala welcomed the fact that Brazil participates
in several initiatives by groups of WTO members seeking advances in topics
ranging from e-commerce rules to investment facilitation and improving the
participation of small businesses in international trade.
She also praised Brazil for being one of 67 signatories to a
deal on services domestic regulation. In
addition, she welcomed the country’s active engagement in discussions relating
to the environment. Mr França and DG Okonjo-Iweala also talked about Brazil’s
drive to join the Government Procurement Agreement, which opens up public
sector markets in participating economies.
The Director-General met with members of the Agricultural
Parliamentary Front along with representatives of several agribusiness
associations. Members of Congress and business representatives called for
concrete results in agriculture negotiations at MC12 and shared their concerns
about protectionism in food markets and the risks of lack of fertilizers connected
with the crisis in Ukraine.
Interactions with business groups
In São Paulo, on 19 April, DG Okonjo-Iweala spoke with a
group of business people in sectors ranging from the aircraft industry to
pharmaceuticals in a dialogue organized by the Brazilian National Confederation
of Industry (CNI) and São Paulo’s Federation of Industries (FIESP). She
suggested Brazil may benefit from further integration in global supply chains
and that higher productivity growth is vital for Brazilian businesses to “punch
at their full weight” in the world.
Business leaders expressed their strong support for the
multilateral trading system and its fundamental role in promoting the
prosperity of all countries. They listed some priorities for WTO action,
including a fully functioning dispute settlement system, agricultural trade
reform and more transparency and strengthened rules on industrial subsidies.
The Director-General said she was heartened by the support expressed by the
Brazilian private sector for the WTO.
DG Okonjo-Iweala also met a group of female small business
owners, who shared their experiences about starting and expanding their
businesses. Access to start-up capital, credit, new markets and innovation as
well as the need for digital solutions were some issues raised as impediments
to growth. The Director-General talked about discussions at the WTO to make
trade work better for the inclusion of women and micro, small and medium-sized
enterprises.
She also highlighted joint work with agencies such as the
International Trade Centre, the Enhanced Integrated Framework and the Standards
and Trade Development Facility to help women entrepreneurs tap into business
networks, access market information and meet global standards.