UK gives a further SFr1.2m for food, animal and plant health standards

The donation is for the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF), a programme set up for the purpose jointly by the World Trade Organization, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, the World Organization for Animal Health, and the Food and Agriculture Organization.

The facility’s purpose is to help developing countries improve their expertise and their capacity to analyze and implement international sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards. This will improving their human, animal and plant health situation, and ability to gain and maintain market access.

The facility also acts as a vehicle for co-ordination among technical co-operation providers, the mobilization of funds, the exchange of experience and the dissemination of best practice in relation to the provision and receipt of SPS-related technical co-operation.

The UK’s contribution will help the facility implement its Medium Term Strategy agreed in December 2006. The Strategy puts much greater emphasis sharing information and co-ordinating the supply and receipt of technical cooperation related to sanitary and phytosanitary measures.

Work on technical co-operation co-ordination will be at the forefront of the STDF’s work programme in 2007. A particular focus of this work will be the organization of two regional consultations between donors, beneficiaries and project implementation organizations in East Africa and Central America. These regional consultations complement the broader Aid for Trade Initiative.