Germany commits EUR 150,000 to boost safe food exports from developing countries

Germany’s Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture is contributing EUR 150,000 (CHF 148,000) for 2022 to the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) to help developing and least-developed countries (LDCs) meet international food safety, animal and plant health standards for trade. The objective is to enable them to access global and regional markets for agricultural goods more easily. The contribution was confirmed at a signing ceremony attended by Germany’s WTO Ambassador, Bettina Waldmann, and the Director of the WTO’s Administration and General Services Division, Nthisana Phillips, held on 8 July at the WTO.

Ms Phillips said: “The WTO appreciates Germany’s ongoing efforts to help developing countries and LDCs tackle sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) challenges. This aids producers to gain better access to agricultural markets, earn more and raise their standards of living. The STDF will continue to strengthen SPS capacities worldwide with Germany’s support.”

Germany’s Ambassador to the WTO, Dr Bettina Waldmann, said: “The STDF makes important contributions to help developing countries and LDCs implement SPS standards. Germany is very pleased to be supporting this effort to better protect the wellbeing of animals and plants and to promote safer trade.”

Germany’s contribution will be used to strengthen the ability of small-scale farmers, producers and traders to access global and regional markets for food and agriculture products. This will be made possible through the development and roll-out of collaborative SPS projects, knowledge sharing, and monitoring and evaluation of results.

The contribution will also strengthen the STDF’s coordination platform, allowing diverse stakeholders across agriculture, health, trade and development to share experiences, find opportunities for collaboration and promote a more coherent approach to SPS capacity development in developing countries and LDCs.

Overall, Germany has contributed approximately CHF 32.5 million to various WTO trust funds since 2002, including CHF 2.9 million to the STDF.

Developing countries are encouraged to apply to the STDF for project grants. The next deadline for submission of funding proposals is 12 August 2022. Information on how to apply is available here. To date, the STDF has funded more than 230 projects benefiting LDCs and other developing countries.

The STDF is a global multi-stakeholder partnership to facilitate safe and inclusive trade, established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the World Bank Group, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the WTO, which houses and manages the partnership. The STDF responds to evolving needs, drives inclusive trade and contributes to sustainable economic growth, food security and poverty reduction, in support of the United Nations’ Global Goals.