New Zealand has announced a new financial contribution to the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF), a global initiative supported by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other international organizations.
This contribution aims to strengthen food safety systems, as well as animal and plant health, in developing countries, particularly those in the Pacific islands. Vangelis Vitalis, Deputy Secretary for Trade and Economic at New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, emphasized that this support will enable sharing New Zealand’s sanitary and phytosanitary expertise with the STDF partnership.
The funding will assist governments and private sector actors in implementing sanitary measures based on international standards, in accordance with the WTO’s SPS Agreement. Supported projects include strengthening risk-based regional approaches and piloting new digital tools to facilitate safe trade.
The STDF is an alliance of organizations working in trade, agriculture, and health, aiming to build SPS capacities in developing and least developed countries. This initiative contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by promoting safe, inclusive, and sustainable trade while supporting economic growth, poverty reduction, and food security.