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25 March 2022  
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PRESS RELEASE  
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE  
Canada commits CAD 200,000 to support developing -country 
exports of safe, quality food  
Canada is contributing CAD 200,000 (approximately CHF 150,000) to help developing and least-
developed countries (LDCs) engage more actively in global agricultural trade. The grant to the 
Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) aims to support countries in meeting international 
food safety, and animal and plant health standards, enab ling them to access global and regional 
markets more easily.  
 
WTO Director -General Ngozi Okonjo -Iweala said: "I thank Canada for its ongoing support of 
developing countries and LDCs in strengthening their sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) capacities 
through  science -based approaches. This contributes to raising farmers' incomes by increasing export 
sales and deepening developing countries' integration into the world economy. The STDF will 
continue to facilitate inclusive and safe trade worldwide, in partnersh ip with Canada."  
 
The Honourable Marie -Claude Bibeau, Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri -Food, said: "The 
Government of Canada supports a global agricultural trading system where farmers in Canada and 
abroad can rely on predictability to grow their crop, raise their livestock and help feed the world. By 
investing in the STDF, we are playing a key role in improving SPS systems in developing countries 
to ensure the safety of the global trading system."  
 
Canada is extending its 17 -year partnership with the STDF by committing CAD 200,000 from 2021 
to 2022 to help developing countries meet international food safety and health standards . The STDF 
will use Canada's contribution to suppor t the development and roll -out of SPS projects across various 
sectors, countries and regions, promote knowledge sharing, foster collaboration among partners 
including through the STDF Working Group and improve monitoring and evaluation of results.  
 
Agricul ture and Agri -Food Canada, the department of the Government of Canada responsible for the 
federal regulation of agriculture, has contributed around CHF 13.3 million to various WTO trust funds 
since 2002, including about CHF 6.7 million to the STDF.  
 
Developing countries may apply to the STDF for project and project preparation grants. The next 
deadline for submission of funding proposals is 12 August 2022. Information on how to apply is 
available here. To date, the STDF has funded more than 230 projects benefiting LDCs and other 
developing countries.  
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  The contribution by Canada will also strengthen STDF's coordination platform, connecting diver se 
stakeholders across agriculture, health, trade and development to share experiences, find 
opportunities for collaboration and promote a more coherent approach to SPS capacity development.  
 
The STDF is a global multi -stakeholder partnership to facilitate  safe and inclusive trade, established 
by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the World Organisation for 
Animal Health (OIE), the World Bank Group, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the WTO, 
which houses and manages the  partnership. The STDF responds to evolving needs, drives inclusive 
trade and contributes to sustainable economic growth, food security and poverty reduction, in 
support of the United Nations' Global Goals.  
 
 
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