Ensuring Safe Standards in Agriculture Trade Crucial for Sustainable Future, Says WTO

Oluchi Chibuzor

The Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Jean-Marie Paugam, has emphasised the importance of the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) in improving developing countries’ capacity to meet sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards for agriculture trade.

The Deputy DG recently chaired the STDF Policy Committee meeting, where participants reflected on STDF’s work to facilitate safe trade in food, animal and plant products based on the 2020-2024 Strategy.

Speaking during a virtually held meeting, Paugam noted that the meeting was a testimony of STDF being a strong, vibrant and well-functioning partnership, noting that the upcoming external evaluation is an opportunity to further strengthen our collaboration.

According to the Deputy DG, global partnerships like STDF are crucial to help farmers, producers, traders and governments in developing countries address some of the main challenges the world is facing today.

“Around us, we are still grappling with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our lives and our economies. Climate change is on the rise and has a clear impact on the occurrence of new pests and diseases, and on food safety,” the WTO Deputy DG added.

“The meeting today is a testimony of STDF being a strong, vibrant and well-functioning partnership, and I see the upcoming external evaluation as an opportunity to further strengthen our collaboration,” Paugam noted.

The meeting was attended by senior representatives of STDF’s founding partners and donor members represented by France, Germany and the Netherlands as well as STDF developing country experts.

Highlight of the meeting was the approved the terms of reference for the external evaluation by The Policy Committee which would assess STDF’s results and impact in facilitating safe agriculture trade, taking into account the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic on STDF’s operations.

The evaluation was expected to generate key lessons and recommendations to inform STDF’s future strategy for supporting developing countries in meeting international food safety and animal and plant health standards. It will cover STDF’s global activities, including knowledge work and grants, with an in-depth assessment of results and impacts achieved by three STDF projects on the ground.

The process would leverage the knowledge and insights of STDF members, clients in developing countries, and other organiations involved in SPS capacity development.

Members of the Policy Committee commended the work carried out by STDF and made suggestions to further enhance STDF’s global partnership.

The Deputy Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, Maria Helena Semedo, recommended identifying alternative financing sources to enable more stakeholders to benefit from STDF’s innovative SPS projects.

Commenting, the Lead Agribusiness Specialist at the World Bank Group, Christopher Brett, highlighted the huge pressure stakeholders in developing countries face to meet SPS and other standards relevant for agri-food trade, encouraging STDF to use its wealth of institutional experience to seek new opportunities to scale up its work and implement larger projects.

Similarly, the Agri-food trade economist at the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture of Germany, Marie-Luise Rau, encouraged ongoing exchanges among members, partners, donors and beneficiaries to act as a catalyst for influencing SPS capacity development.