USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)’s Post

My professional life is a bit like a triathlon (or pentathlon, etc., i.e. follows a "multisport" pattern). Last Friday I have jumped on a chance to talk about the role of the African states (the #WTO #Members and beyond) in the [progressing] WTO #FisheriesSubsidies negotiations in Addis Ababa. I am grateful to the African Society of International Law for bearing with me. The idea to address/assess the #fisheries work from the #integrativenegotiations perspective originated from the graduate Negotiations course, which I teach at Business School Lausanne (BSL). [My students are getting a new reading next term]. While the theory of negotiations most often focuses on the commercial setting (i.e. negotiating business #contracts) or global politics (i.e war and peace dilemmas), I wanted to prove that the same structure should also work in the somewhat specific international #trade decision-making. And yes, it actually does! Among the main findings: the Fisheries Subsidies Agreement is the strongest of the available alternatives for all the #stakeholders involved (all respective #BATNAs are weaker); however, the #interests vary; while some #synergies could be found, the exact positioning of the deal within the Zone of possible agreement (#ZOPA) would depend on the preparation to (including building understanding of the interests on the table and the surrounding circumstances, including the [mostly] "African specialty" of #fishingaccessagreements) and the #engagement in the negotiations. While the tendency of offering an #SDT #sweetener appears to persist, it might need/have a chance to be reversed, setting a systemic precedent. As this #paper is still in the making, my other recent dedicated piece (https://lnkd.in/e2_YgRxk) could shed a bit more light on some of the tackled developments.

So many questions, but on a technical level, when Rep. Tai envisions trade treaties with environmental and national security concerns in mind, what does she mean? Anything over and beyond Art. XX and XXI? On security concerns, the US has a very broad interpretation of Art. XXI, so what more could it want? On environment, Members are also already reaching beyond traditional GATT tools through the Fisheries Subsidies Agreement. https://lnkd.in/gBQArBdq

Thanks to Cheng Cheng of AGRA for his talk at China Crossroads on “African Food Security and Asian Agricultural Investments: Firsthand Observations from Africa.” 

🚨 Israel 🇮🇱 is at a pivotal moment with the war projecting a staggering cost of 50 billion NIS (~$13.8 billion) in 2024. As defense spending escalates by 30 billion NIS, pushing total budgetary spending to 562.1 billion NIS, it's time to delve into solutions. 💭 Point Of View: my recent paper explores the game-changing potential of reinstating import taxes on meat, charting a course towards a healthier, more sustainable, and economically robust Israel. 🌐 Global Insights: Studying Global Food Systems and Food-Tech at Luiss Guido Carli University in Rome, I earned a grade of 30 cum laude for my paper drawing parallels between the taxation cases of tobacco and meat in Israel. 💼 Legal Background: As a former member of Tel Aviv University - The Buchmann Faculty of Law's Legal Clinic for Environmental Justice, I actively participated in last year's administrative petition on meat taxation. Now, the call for action resonates even stronger, given the accelerated impact on economic, health, and climate considerations. 🚬 Taxation Disparities: While tobacco, a health risk, faces heavy taxation, meat enjoys exemptions despite environmental and health challenges. This inconsistency demands immediate attention amid the ongoing war. #Israel #ClimateChangeAction #GreenEconomy #IsraelEconomy #EcoPolicy #PublicHealth #ClimateSolutions #GlobalFoodSystems #IsraelHamasWar

The AKADEMIYA2063 - International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)I 2023 AATM report! In this overview, the editors present an analysis of the impact of recent shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine war and climate change on African countries and agrifood systems! Learn more👉https://shorturl.at/uWjzN

📢 New exciting state visit for President Macron to Sweden! 🇫🇷🇸🇪 Discussions on the Common Agricultural Policy, fair competition and European defense were at the heart of the discussions. Macron highlights the importance of the CAP for French farmers, while advocating rules in the face of global competition. 💪🌾 He is also concerned about agricultural imports from Ukraine. Defense cooperation was also discussed, with strong support for Ukraine. 🛡️✊ A visit which underlines France's European commitment and our common concerns. 🌍✨ #EuropeanEngagement #CAP #AgricultureFrance #DefenseCooperation

The best way to develop one's community is to engage without waiting for others' help or financing. That is what Yacouba Sawadogo (see video) proved to many a few years ago and I further grasped it through the webinar I attended this afternoon under the topic "Comment aller vers une souverainté alimentaire effective au Sahel? (How can we move towards effective food sovereignty in the Sahel?) organized by Jeunes Diplomates Africains (JDA) with impactful inputs from Dr Prince Koya whom I warmly thank! In a nutshell Dr Prince Koya pointed out that: The Sahel and Africa in general suffer from incomplete food sovereignty due to the historical, political, environmental, and economic contexts that are now part of their daily lives (among others). And that, to overcome this, the governments of these countries need to implement the 3 pillars of food sovereignty (fullness, exclusivity, and effectiveness), have strong institutions, and have good national agendas. But this should also happen in strict respect to Human Rights, International Law, and International Agreements. That is undoubtedly one of the core debates for development and I think that it deserves much attention at the moment. Video retrieved from: https://lnkd.in/ecPpNJRR #Sahel #Development #Food_Sovereignty #Peace_and_Prosperity

"فوكا": عالم أكثر تقلبًا وتعقدًا وغموضًا وأقل يقينًا In this issue, 35 of FUTURE CONCEPTS we discuss VUCA concepts and how to apply them on more VUCAIZED international politics. #futures #foresight #vucaworld #VUCA #internationalaffairs Ayat Abdelaziz Amr S. Sakr