UPDATE ON THE STANDARDS AND TRADE DEVELOPMENT FACILITY (STDF)

Note by the Secretariat[1]

1  INTRODUCTION

1.1.  The Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) is a global partnership that promotes improved food safety, animal and plant health capacity in developing countries to help meet SPS requirements, based on international standards.[2] The STDF provides funding for the development and implementation of innovative projects, develops knowledge and good practices on cross-cutting SPS topics, and facilitates dialogue and learning on SPS capacity development through the Working Group and Practitioner Groups. The next meeting of the STDF Working Group is scheduled on 18‑19 November 2025 and will be chaired by Marie-Luise Rau from the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) of Germany.

1.2.  A new STDF Strategy "Facilitating Safe Trade to Meet the Global Goals" for the period 2025 to 2030 was finalized in December 2024 and launched on the margins of the WTO SPS Committee in March 2025. The Strategy builds on STDF's track record and the findings of the last external STDF programme evaluation (May 2024) and recommendations approved by the STDF Policy Committee. It maintains STDF's focus on safe trade facilitation and support to meet international standards (Codex, IPPC and WOAH), based on the WTO SPS Agreement. The new Strategy is available on the STDF website.

1.3.  This document provides a brief update on STDF's work, including projects. SPS delegates are encouraged to visit the STDF website to learn more about STDF's work, access and use STDF knowledge products and publications, and subscribe to STDF's monthly newsletter here.