The ICAO Quebec Statement
on The WTO Negotiations in Agriculture
At the ICAO General Meeting, 29^thAugust 1999, Quebec, Canada 

INTRODUCTION
1.  We, agricultural cooperatives as a self-reliant group of farmers totally dependent upon agriculture and  faithfully embodying ICA Principles, act as advocates of member farmers' rights and interests. In fulfillment of our mission, we should safeguard both ourselves and the public interests from any threats to local and global sustainability.

2.  We, agricultural cooperatives with over 400 million member farmers and responsible for over 50% of agricultural production and marketing in the world, should be the most important NGO party in the WTO negotiation in agriculture.

3.  As stated in the Article 20 of the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture, WTO multilateral negotiations are going to be initiated formally late 1999. Since the UR Agreement of Agriculture was concluded in 1994, the principle of free trade has been the continuing premise upon which the ICAO members have the opinion. To the upcoming WTO negotiations, We, the ICAO member cooperatives have the sincere wish to see such fair rules that can benefit all participants and therefore be the cornerstone for a sustainable next millennium.

4.  We, agricultural cooperatives, have agreed to declare the following position on the next WTO agricultural negotiations, keeping in mind that it is incumbent on us to carry out our inherently given mandate on behalf of member farmers of the ICAO.

FAIR TRADE
5.  As clearly evidenced in the FAO statistics, few developed and exporting countries have benefited from the UR Agreement. The agriculture trade deficit of developing and food-importing countries has increased while developed and exporting countries has expanded their trade opportunity. It is unfair for the farming community in developing and food-importing countries.

6.  We assert that the international community should establish a truly fair trade system with fair rules, in which the differences in agriculture among the member countries can be taken into account, so as to be beneficial to both exporting and importing countries as well as to both developed and developing countries. For the developing countries, the clause of the special and different treatment must be extended in this sense.

MULTIFUNCTIONALITY OF AGRICULTURE
7.  Preserving the environment in form of clean air and water, healthy soil and biodiversity is an urgent necessity Rural amenities, traditional culture and community systems themselves are also values to keep for the next generations. Therefore, a continuing supply of these non-tradable public goods is becoming more vital in almost all regions and countries around the world.

8.  We believe that these externalities of agriculture can be produced only when agricultural production activity is continued in the country, most desirably by family farmers who care for their land for following generations. In this sense, we applaud the OECD Ministerial Communiqu?of March 1998, in which the importance of the multifunctional role of agriculture was well articulated.

9.  Recognizing the multifunctionality of agriculture and the value of co-existence of all farming entities on the globe including family farms, 'comparative advantage' and 'economic efficiency' should not be the sole yardstick in the forthcoming negotiations. If so, it is necessary for government to take the intervention policies and measures to support farming activities of farmers and their economic sustainability.

FOOD SECURITY
10. We, agricultural cooperatives have taken the leading role in materalizing the world food security in the areas of food production, marketing, processing and international trade by establishing cooperative businesses which are based on the principles of self-reliance and mutual-help. We, therefore, have due responsibility to participate in the upcoming negotiations of the WTO on the issues relating to food security, taking into account the non-trade concern.

11. International trade in agricultural products can contribute to the world food security. However, it cannot be the sole solution. Also the possibility for each country to attain food security through sustainable use of the natural resources in the agricultural sector can be taken into account.

12. World food security is a vital goal which can only be reached by fair, balanced international agreements which take into account the interests of exporting as well as importing countries. The agricultural cooperatives plays an important role to fulfill this goal.

13. Governments, especially, governments of developing countries, should have the right to use their own workable policies to support their farmers, and further to provide favorable policy environments, which encourage agricultural cooperatives to be involve in implementing trade and food reserve policies.

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISM (GMO)
14. Recently the production and trade of GMO products have been soaring up, while public concern about food safety is also growing. GMO products, if they do no harm to human beings and the environment, are expected to contribute to alleviation of human starvation in the long term. The international argument on the impact of GMO products on the health of human beings and environment, however, has not reached agreement yet.

15. At the present time, our concern is that every government takes responsibility to ensure the people's 'right to know' the relevant facts until an agreement on the safety of GMO products is reached internationally. It is the natural right of the consumer to know about what they eat and how that food is produced.

16. On the other hand, under intellectual property rights(IPR), the exclusive rights for seeds produced with biotechnology are being protected. This may lead to additional burdens for farmers who have developed and kept their traditional seeds for thousands of years. Therefore, urgent international attention should be given to the fact that the present protective IPR practices are damaging farmers' natural rights.

CONCLUSION
17. In order that our opinions should be reflected in the upcoming agricultural negotiations, we ICAO will participate actively in the various international fora and talks in cooperation with other international and regional NGOs.

18. We, agricultural cooperatives across the world, have a firm belief that the value of 'cooperation' can also be incorporated into the WTO process of agricultural negotiations. This would lead to a desirable result in that all interested parties would receive equitable benefits and would contribute to the sustainable development of humankind in the 21st Century.