Germany pledges €150,000 to improve hygiene in developing economies

Germany has pledged €150,000 (approximately CHF 140,000) in 2024 to the Standards and Trade Development Facility to help developing economies and least-developed countries improve their sanitary and phytosanitary capacity.

Germany’s Ambassador to the World Trade Organisation, Carmen Heidecke, signed the Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of the German Government.

According to a release by the World Trade Organisation, the objective of the agreement is to increase their access to global and regional markets and contribute to sustainable economic growth, food security and poverty reduction.

The WTO Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said, “Germany demonstrates once again its commitment to helping developing countries and LDCs maximise the benefits of trade by improving their ability to comply with SPS requirements. This contribution will allow them to participate more actively in global agricultural markets for the benefit of thousands of farmers.”

Ambassador to the WTO, Carmen Heidecke, said, “The STDF makes important contributions to help developing countries and LDCs implement SPS standards and tackle global challenges. The German Ministry for Food and Agriculture is therefore very pleased to be renewing its support to help the STDF carry out its projects.”

He noted that Germany had donated CHF 10.6m to the STDF since 2006 and CHF 38.5m to the various WTO trust funds over almost 25 years.

“The STDF, a global partnership hosted by the WTO, supports safe, inclusive trade, sustainable growth, food security, and poverty reduction, aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goals,” he said.