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The donation is Japan’s first for the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF),
a programme set up for the purpose jointly by the World Trade Organization, the
World Health Organization, the World Bank, the World Organization for Animal
Health, and the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Japan joins 12 other current donors: Canada, Denmark, the European Commission,
Finland, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United
Kingdom, the United States.
WTO Director General Pascal Lamy welcomed Japan’s donation. “This contribution
shows Japan’s commitment to help developing countries meet international
standards and make fuller use of export opportunities for their agricultural
products.”
Japanese Ambassador Shinichi Kitajima stated: “This donation is an illustration
of our longtime commitment to helping developing and least developed countries.
By building capacity to implement international sanitary and phytosanitary
standards, they will be in a better position to make full use of the
multilateral trading system for their sustainable growth and poverty reduction.”
In the planning and delivery of its assistance, the STDF works closely with
other technical assistance initiatives involving the WTO, in particular the
Integrated Framework for Least-Developed Countries and Aid for Trade.
The STDF’s current Medium Term Strategy runs until 2011 and aims to achieve a
facility with annual operating funds of $5 million. Since its inception in 2002,
the STDF has built a portfolio of 36 projects and has financed a further 33
project-preparation grants.
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