ISLAMABAD, July 20: The Pakistani government should renegotiate the Agreement on Trade and TRIPS with the World Trade Organization (WTO) to ensure food security, livelihood security and equitable development in the Northern Areas.

This is one of the recommendations of a research project conducted in the Northern Areas jointly by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) and the Kathmandu-based South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE).

The SAWTEE is a consortium of NGOs from the South Asian region, and its regional partners are also engaged in similar studies in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Briefing reporters about findings of the study which covered Gilgit, Diamer and Skardu, Dr Abid Qayyum Suleri of the SDPI noted that the people of Northern Areas have become very vulnerable because of the rapid trade liberalization and also because neither the people nor the government functionaries in the area were aware of WTO.

They urged the government to define the status of the area and allocate development funds according to the formula applied in respect of the four provinces.

Included in the WFP’s food insecurity zoning map of Pakistan prepared by the UN World Food Programme, the Northern Areas are among the most food insecure areas. For this reason, the study titled ‘Impact of trade liberalization on lives and livelihood of mountain communities’ was undertaken by the SAWTEE under the ‘Programme for securing the livelihood rights of farmers in the HKH’ (Hindukush Himalayan range).

Mountains appeared on the political agenda of the United Nations literature for the first time in the context of Conference on Environment and Development held in 1992 at Rio de Janeiro. These were recognized as vulnerable and deprived as other marginal areas like deserts etc. in the declaration of that conference.

The Northern Areas in Pakistan constitute a zone excluded from the country’s staple foods due to local production, high transport cost and restricted food access to many areas. Another cause of acute poverty in this region is under-developed market.

The government, SDPI-SAWTEE study suggested, should direct the Ministry of Commerce and Export Promotion Bureau to take measures to find markets for the products of the Northern Areas including fruits, medicinal herbs, Salajit and handicrafts.

In this connection, the government can invoke the WTO provisions regarding the least-developed regions and allow subsidy on the exports of fruits, medicinal herbs etc. from Northern Areas.