Summary
This report considers the following agreement laid before Parliament under section 20 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (CRAG):
- International Sugar Agreement, 1992 — Articles for Reform.
The International Sugar Agreement (ISA) 1992 establishes the International Sugar Organization (ISO), which is an intergovernmental body with the aim of facilitating trade and cooperation in relation to sugar and increasing global demand for sugar. The UK became an independent member of the ISO on 1 January 2021 and was previously a member through the European Union.
The Articles for Reform would amend the scope of the ISO to cover sweeteners and bioenergy and fuel ethanol production from sugar crops. It would also amend its governance to limit the appointment of the ISO’s Executive Director from an unlimited period to a maximum of two terms of four years, and to alter the distribution of votes among member countries.
The proposed term limits for the Executive Director are in line with other international organisations, and the UK’s share of the votes is not affected by the amended vote distribution. We report the Agreement to the House for information.