WTO DG highlights vital role of trade for global food security

Addressing the Global Dialogue on Trade, a 6 July event organized by the WTO Secretariat in collaboration with the United Nations Food Systems Summit, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala underlined the growing importance of international trade in building the food systems needed for the 21st century.

International trade is vital to ensure global food security, DG Okonjo-Iweala told participants at the meeting, explaining that trade is necessary to move food from the parts of our planet that have a food surplus to the parts that have a food deficit.

She noted that the world is increasingly reliant on international trade for food security due to population growth, climate change and other factors. An estimated one in every six people around the world depends almost entirely on international trade for the food they eat, a proportion that could rise to 50 percent by 2050, she said. Looking ahead, it will be important to address trade distortions and ensure the sustainability of food systems because trade in food will shape the future of land, water and energy use, she added.

DG Okonjo-Iweala pointed to the wider links between trade and food security. Trade has helped create jobs and raise incomes, enhancing people's ability to purchase food, she noted.