 
  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/AG/GEN/65 
2 March 2004 
 (04-0928) 
Committee on Agriculture Original:   English 
  
 
EXAMINATION OF POSSIBLE MEANS OF IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVENESS  
OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECI SION ON MEASURES CONCERNING THE 
POSSIBLE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF THE REFORM PROGRAMME ON  
LEAST-DEVELOPED AND NET FOOD-IMPORTING  
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 
 
Communication from the World Bank
 
   The following communication dated 18 Decemb er 2003, was received from the World Bank 
in response to a letter by the Chairman of the Ge neral Council to the Head of the World Bank drawing 
the attention of the World Bank to the report of  the Committee on Agriculture on Implementation-
Related Issues G/AG/16 dated 6 July 2003.  The relevant recommendation of the Committee provides 
as follows (G/AG/16, paragraph 19(b)):  
"In the light of the discussions and informal consultations in connection with the Committee's 
examination of possible means of improving the effectiveness of the implementation of 
paragraph 5 of the Marrakesh NFIDC Decision, the following recommendations are forwarded for approval by the General Council: 
 ...   (b) that the General Council invite the Wo rld Bank and other relevant international 
organizations to report on the feasibility a nd effectiveness of commodity price risk 
management instruments for use by LDCs a nd WTO NFIDCs as part of strategies to 
address short-term difficulties in financing commercial imports of basic foodstuffs, in particular during phases of rising world market prices." 
 
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  With respect to your request to inform th e committee about any commodity price insurance 
mechanisms that are currently available for net f ood-importing countries, we can inform you that the 
Commodity Risk Management Group of the World Bank has until now focused on application of risk 
management instruments for commodity exports.  The Group is, however, exploring the possibility of 
using such instruments for imports.  In addition, th e Trade Department is planning to undertake some 
studies over the next year of the circumstances of specific net food-importing countries, with the 
objective of seeing how the World Bank can use exis ting or new instruments to assist them in 
overcoming any problems that might arise in the course of implementing agreements in the Doha 
Round.  We will be happy to forward to the Co mmittee on Agriculture these reports as they are 
completed.  
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