Ambassador Islam Siddiqui Appointed to Think Tank

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has announced the appointment of  Ambassador Islam A. Siddiqui a senior adviser in its Global Food Security Project. Dr. Siddiqui recently served as Chief Agricultural Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

“We’re honored that Ambassador Siddiqui has joined us at such an important time for U.S. trade,” said John Hamre, CSIS President, CEO, and Pritzker Chair. “In addition to his wealth of experience and expertise in U.S. agriculture, he will be a huge asset to CSIS by providing leadership in international trade and global food security issues.”

As Chief Agricultural Negotiator, Dr. Siddiqui was responsible for bilateral and multilateral negotiations and policy coordination on issues related to agricultural trade, including the TPP, TTIP, and WTO negotiations. In this capacity, Dr. Siddiqui played an active role in the successful 2013 WTO Ministerial meeting in Bali, Indonesia and served as the lead negotiator in the Brazil cotton case, which delayed the imposition of retaliation measures by Brazil in excess of $800 million annually. During this period, he also spearheaded a number of negotiations with trading partners in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Western Hemisphere that contributed to record levels of exports by opening or expanding markets for U.S. food and agricultural products.

Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Dr. Siddiqui was Vice President for Science and Regulatory Affairs at CropLife America. Dr. Siddiqui also held a number of advisory positions on issues related to agriculture and trade. From 2004 to 2009, Dr. Siddiqui served on the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, and Health/Science Products & Services at the U.S. Department of Commerce where he advised the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and USTR on international trade issues related to these sectors. In 2001, Dr. Siddiqui was appointed senior associate at CSIS, where he focused on agricultural biotechnology and food security issues.

Dr. Siddiqui earned his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in plant pathology, both from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. He received his B.S. (Hon’s) degree in plant protection from the G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, India. In 2011, he was awarded the Doctor of Science (Honorary) degree by his alma mater at Pantnagar.

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