• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Sandra Polaski"
  ],
  "type": "other",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "",
  "programs": [],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [],
  "topics": [
    "Economy",
    "Trade"
  ]
}
REQUIRED IMAGE

REQUIRED IMAGE

Other

Agricultural Negotiations at the WTO: First, Do No Harm

Agricultural trade liberalization can increase poverty in low-income countries if not handled carefully, because of the pervasiveness of small-scale farming as a source of livelihoods in low-income countries.

Link Copied
By Ms. Sandra Polaski
Published on Jun 21, 2005

Source: Carnegie Endowment

Trade negotiators at the World Trade Organization (WTO) are struggling to meet a self-imposed deadline of December 2005 to agree on the broad outlines of a new trade deal that would cover global commerce in agricultural products, manufactured goods, and a wide array of services. The key bottleneck is agriculture: unless the shape of a deal on agricultural trade can be agreed upon, developing countries will block progress on trade liberalization for manufactured goods and services, the issues of paramount importance to developed countries. Multilateral trade liberalization will stall.  However, negotiations have not yet focused on a pivotal issue in developing countries' agricultural sectors, namely the fact that subsistence farming is the main source of income for most of the poor.  This issue deserves immediate attention as negotiators return to Geneva for a last effort to forge an agreement by December. 

Click here for the full text of this Policy Outlook.

In Chinese

About the Author
Sandra Polaski is a senior associate and Director of the Trade, Equity and Development Project at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She is a co-author of the Carnegie report NAFTA's Promise and Reality: Lessons from Mexico for the Hemisphere and author of Cambodia Blazes A New Path To Economic Growth and Job Creation (Carnegie Paper No. 51).

About the Author

Ms. Sandra Polaski

Former Senior Associate, Director, Trade, Equity and Development Program

Until April 2002, Polaski served as the U.S. Secretary of State’s Special Representative for International Labor Affairs, the senior State Department official dealing with such matters.

    Recent Work

  • Report
    Brazil in the Global Economy: Measuring the Gains From Trade
      • +4

      Ms. Sandra Polaski, Joaquim Bento de Souza Ferreir, Janine Berg, …

  • Article
    One Cheer for Global Trade Talks

      Ms. Sandra Polaski

Ms. Sandra Polaski
Former Senior Associate, Director, Trade, Equity and Development Program
Sandra Polaski
EconomyTrade

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  • Lee and Lula walking
    Commentary
    Emissary
    Why Korea’s President Skipped Washington for Silicon Valley and Brasília

    Lee’s tour shows how Seoul is reorganizing its diplomacy away from Pyongyang and toward industrial networks and the geography of the compute economy.

      Darcie Draudt-Véjares

  • People standing on rocks in the ocean near the shore, with soldiers in the foreground
    Commentary
    Emissary
    The Migration Wave That Embarrassed Morocco and Rattled Europe

    Most migrants may have left Ceuta, but the effects may linger.

      • Alejandro Rodriguez
      • Sarah Yerkes

      Alejandro Martin Rodriguez, Sarah Yerkes

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Russia Is Exporting Its Fuel Crisis to Central Asia

    When faced with fuel shortages in the past, Central Asian governments could always count on additional supplies from Moscow. That safety net no longer exists.

      Galiya Ibragimova

  • Shadowed figure lighting grocery store shelves
    Commentary
    Emissary
    Five Years After His Power Grab, Tunisia’s President Has Only Achieved Failure

    Saied’s main accomplishment has been to destroy a decade’s worth of democratic progress.

      • Sarah Yerkes

      Sarah Yerkes

  • Port cranes at sunset
    Commentary
    Emissary
    The Drone Attack on Egypt and the Widening Middle East War

    The targeting of Damietta Port appears to be more than a mere security message.

      Amr Hamzawy

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.