Implementing standards in developing countries: the Standards and Trade Development Facility1

摘要

The Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF), a global partnership involving the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the World Health Organization, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization, assists developing countries in enhancing their capacity to analyse and implement international sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards and improving their human, animal and plant health situation, thus increasing their ability to gain and maintain markets for their products. As a coordination mechanism, the STDF aims to enhance the awareness of SPS issues, improve collaboration among providers of SPS-related technical cooperation, share information, exchange experiences,disseminate good practice and mobilise resources through interaction with other relevant Aid for Trade initiatives and SPS-related programmes. Current and planned STDF work focuses, among other things, on the use of economic analysis to inform SPS-related decision making and priority setting, public-private partnerships in SPS capacity building, international trade and invasive alien species, and the linkages between SPS and trade facilitation. The STDF also provides advice and support to developing countries on project development and implementation. Animal health projects should take into account the results of evaluation of the country's Veterinary Services using the OIE Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) Tool and PVS Gap Analysis, where appropriate. Veterinary legislation is a key element of good governance. Where significant gaps in veterinary legislation are identified in the course of PVS evaluations, countries should consider undertaking projects to strengthen and enforce their veterinary legislation. The OIE and other international organisations such as the FAO offer technical support and advice to such projects. Projects aimed at strengthening key elements of the veterinary infrastructure and governance, including those involving revision of veterinary legislation, are a relevant target for investment by donors engaged with the STDF.