ABSTRACT SALMINAWATI 2014 THE ROLE OF THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION (WTO) IN MAINTAINING FOOD SECURITY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES (THAILAND’S EXPERIENCE IN THE EC-EXPORT SUBSIDIES ON SUGAR CASE ) Faculty of Law, Syiah Kuala University (v, 79 ), pp., bibl, app. M. Putra Iqbal, S.H., LL.M. The existence of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in the international market is to protect both trade of goods and services, one of them to protect agricultural products which will determine the balance of food security, especially in developing countries such as Thailand. However, in reality there is threat that can disrupt the balance of food security in developing countries. Therefore, it is interesting to analyze the measurement that the WTO can do to maintaining food security in developing countries in general and based on EC-export subsidies on sugar case. This research also analyzed the obstacle faced by Thailand as a developing country when it claim that the European Communities (EC) violated export subsidies regulation that result in lower sugar price in domestic and international market which threatened Thailand economy as one of sugar largest exporters. In order to compile data in the research, library research is applied to get secondary data, through reading, citing and analyzing data that are related to object of research. The methodology apply is normative legal research. The result of research shows that there are several measurements that WTO can do to maintaining food security in developing countries such as food security stocks, support to food producers and food production for food security, market access, trade remedies for food security and the special safeguard, vitality, price stabilization and the regulation of export subsidies. Then it is found that an obstacle faced by Thailand when claiming that EC violated export subsidies commitment, such as the interpretation of word by virtue of governmental action in article 9(c) of the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA). It is recommended to the WTO to ensure the transparency of implemented export subsidies regulation by member countries, especially implemented on agricultural product in order to maintain food security in developing countries. In addition, it recommended to the WTO to avoid of double implemented regulation where the member use the regional regulation while under the WTO has established the global regulation.