WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said: “I thank Canada for this contribution and for its longstanding partnership with the STDF. The funds received will continue to support the STDF’s pioneering role in food safety, animal and plant health by providing farmers, traders and producers with the tools to facilitate their access to global food markets. Compliance with international standards increases food security in both importing and exporting countries by facilitating trade in agricultural products, increasing incomes and reducing poverty in farming communities.”

Ms. Marie-Claude Bibeau, Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Food, said, “The Government of Canada is committed to helping our partners in developing countries meet international food safety standards for food, animal health and crop protection.” Our engagement today with the STDF to improve the Health and crop protection systems will benefit farmers around the world, including Canadian farmers. Using the same global standards will help developing countries achieve the United Nations goals of better feeding the world.”

Canada’s new contribution will support the implementation of innovative and collaborative capacity-building projects based on international standards listed in the WTO Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and established by the WTO CodeI’World Organization for Animal Health and the International Plant Protection Convention.

By bringing together and connecting diverse stakeholders from agriculture, health, trade and development, and leveraging their technical skills and knowledge, the STDF identifies best practices and encourages their use to influence and drive SPS improvements on a larger scale. This is confirmed by the most recent work good regulatory practices that ensure that SPS measures are fit for purpose, do not create unnecessary costs or administrative burdens and are easier to apply.

Canada, through the Department of Agriculture and Food, the government agency responsible for regulating the sector at the federal level, has donated CHF13.3 million to several WTO trust funds since 2002, including more than CHF6.6 million to the STDF. without this latest post.

Developing and least developed countries in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean are encouraged to apply for STDF grants for the development and implementation of projects in the SPS area. The next deadline for applications for funding is August 11, 2023. Information on how to apply can be found here Here.

To date, the STDF has funded over 240 projects benefiting LDCs and other developing countries.

The STDF is a global partnership to facilitate safe and inclusive trade supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organization for Animal Health (WHO), the World Bank Group and the World Health Organization (WHO) and the WTO, which they housed and managed.

Responding to changing needs, the STDF promotes inclusive trade and contributes to sustainable economic growth, food security and poverty reduction, thereby contributing to the achievement of the United Nations Global Goals.