Summary of publication
This is the final report of the Standards and Trade Development Facility’s (STDF) external evaluation. This evaluation was commissioned by the STDF and completed on 27 May 2024. It was discussed by STDF members at the STDF Policy Committee on 12 June and STDF Working Group meeting on 20-21 June 2024.
The STDF is a multi-donor WTO trust fund which was established in 2004 to support developing countries and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to strengthen their application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) standards to improve food safety and animal and plant health practices and facilitate safe trade in agricultural commodities. The Facility implements SPS projects in developing countries and LDCs and provides a global platform for SPS stakeholders to share best practice and knowledge.
The evaluation covers the reporting period 2019-2024. Since the last evaluation in 2019, the STDF has increased SPS capacity in developing countries including through reforms to legislation, strategies, structures, and processes relating to SPS, and improved implementation of trade related measures concerning food safety, plant, and animal health. Countries that have received STDF project support have experienced stronger overall export growth in plant, animal, and food products. Project level data suggests that STDF support has helped to establish new export markets through improved adherence to international regulatory requirements.
The external evaluation makes six recommendations of which five recommendations were supported by the STDF membership.
DFAT welcomes the review findings and recommendations and notes that the implementation of these recommendations will be carried forward by the STDF Working Group through the development of its new 5-year strategy for 2025-2030.
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DFAT Management Response
- DFAT Management Response to Standards and Trade Development Facility’s external evaluation [DOCX 37 KB]
- DFAT Management Response to Standards and Trade Development Facility’s external evaluation [PDF 141 KB]