Ireland Donates EUR 200,000 to Boost Global Food Safety and Trade through STDF Support

The facility aims to facilitate safe and inclusive trade, contributing to sustainable economic growth, food security, and poverty reduction in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Ireland is contributing EUR 200,000 (approximately CHF 190,000) to the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) to support its ongoing efforts to enhance global food safety and agricultural trade. This generous donation will help advance STDF projects and programs aimed at improving access to global and regional markets for developing economies and least-developed countries (LDCs).

WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala expressed gratitude for Ireland's contribution, stating, “Small-scale farmers and producers in developing and least-developed countries often face significant challenges in accessing global food markets, particularly in meeting sanitary and phytosanitary standards. Thanks to contributions like Ireland's, the STDF is helping to overcome these challenges, allowing people in developing countries to raise their incomes through trade while enhancing global food safety and security.”

Ireland’s Minister of State with responsibility for International Development and Diaspora, Sean Fleming, TD, highlighted the importance of the donation, noting that it brings Ireland's total contributions to over €2.9 million (CHF 2.8 million) since 2007. “Ireland is proud to support the STDF’s critical work in building safe, sustainable, and inclusive global trade,” Fleming said.

The STDF is a global multi-stakeholder partnership established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank Group, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and the WTO. The facility aims to facilitate safe and inclusive trade, contributing to sustainable economic growth, food security, and poverty reduction in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Developing economies and LDCs are encouraged to apply to the STDF for sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) project and project preparation grants, with over 250 projects already funded to benefit these countries.