G/SPS/GEN/1311  
 
6 March 2014  
(14-1373) Page: 1/13  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures    
 
UPDATE ON THE OPERATION OF THE STANDARDS AND 
TRADE DEVELOPMENT FACILITY 
NOTE BY THE SECRETARIAT1 
1  OVERVIEW 
1.1.  The Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) supports developing countries in 
building their capacity to implement international SPS standards, guidelines and recommendations 
as a means to improve their human, animal and plant health status and ability to gain and 
maintain access to markets. In doing so, it contributes to sustainable economic growth, poverty reduction, food security and environmental protection in developing countries. More specifically, it increases awareness, mobilizes resources, strengthens collaboration and identifies and 
disseminates good practice to enhance the effectiv eness of SPS assistance. The STDF also provides 
support and funding for the development and implem entation of projects that promote compliance 
with international SPS requirements. 
1.2.  The STDF is a global partnership established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the 
United Nations (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the World Bank, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Other organizations involved 
in SPS-related technical cooperation, donors co ntributing funds to the STDF and developing 
country experts participate actively in the Facility's work. The STDF is managed and housed by the WTO.
2 
1.3.  This document provides an overview of ongo ing and planned STDF activities in support of its 
work programme. It also provides information on the recent mid-term review of the STDF. Annex I 
provides an overview of on-going STDF projects and project preparation grants (PPGs). 
1.4.  Delegates who would like to receive more information on SPS-related technical cooperation 
are encouraged to subscribe to the STDF electronic mailing list 
(http://www.standardsfacility.org/en/ContactUs.htm ). The STDF regularly issues an e-newsletter 
which contains an overview of major developments in the area of SPS capacity building, including 
activities of the STDF and its partners.  
2  STDF MID-TERM REVIEW 2.1.  An independent mid-term review of the STDF was completed in January 2014.
3 The review 
was carried out by Saana Consulting and covers the period 2009-2013. It examines the STDF's 
performance against evaluation criteria develope d by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation 
and Development (OECD) — relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and impact. The 57-page report noted that "the results are impressive and a testament to the effective operation of 
the STDF". It also concluded that the STDF has successfully established itself as a coordination 
forum. This role was cited as significant "value a dded" by the evaluators and relevant to the goals 
of partners, donors and developing countries. 
                                               
1 This document has been prepared under the Secret ariat's own responsibility and is without prejudice 
to the positions of Members or to their rights or obligations under the WTO. 
2 More detailed information on the STDF and its ac tivities, including projects and project preparation 
grants, is available on  the STDF website ( http://www.standardsfacility.org ). 
3 This review was the third evaluation of the Facility. Previous evaluations were completed in December 
2005 and November 2008, respectively. G/SPS/GEN/1311 
 
- 2 - 
 
  2.2.  Projects were considered as "highly releva nt to the needs of the beneficiaries and to the 
policies of partners and donors". Regional approa ches were deemed particularly successful and an 
area that STDF should develop further. Activities funded by the STDF related to preparing projects 
were considered "a good investment". Over 50% of total grant funding went to projects originating 
in least developed countries (LCDs) and other low income countries. Donors noted that the grant 
funding program "allowed them to extend the rang e of their technical assistance programs on SPS 
issues at a fraction of the cost than if they were to do it themselves". 
2.3.  The performance of the Secretariat was rated as "efficient and cost effective". The evaluators 
found that the Secretariat's participative and consultative approach enhanced the effective implementation of projects and activities. Recommendations on how to further strengthen the operation of the Facility, including by further improving its results-based management framework 
and by adding staff to maintain  and further enhance the coordination function were discussed by 
STDF's partners, donors and developing country experts in the STDF Policy Committee on 23 January 2014. Implementation of the recommend ations will now be considered by the STDF 
Working Group on 28 March 2014. 
2.4.  A news story on the STDF mid-term review an d the full report (in English only) can be viewed 
and downloaded from the STDF website.
4 The executive summary of the mid-term review, 
including the recommendations, was circulated to the SPS Committee for information (see 
document G/SPS/GEN/1304). 
3  COORDINATION AND INFORMATION DISSEMINATION 3.1  SPS and Trade Facilitation 
3.1.  In 2012, the STDF initiated work to anal yse the implementation of SPS measures in the 
context of trade facilitation (defined as the simplification, harmonisation, standardisation and modernisation of trade procedures). This work encompasses regional research in selected 
countries and sub-regions in Africa and Asia
5 and aims to identify, analyse and foster dialogue on 
experiences, lessons and good practices to improve the implementation of SPS controls in a way that facilitates safe trade, while minimizing SPS transaction costs. Moreover, the work may provide 
timely inputs towards the integration of SPS-related components in broader trade facilitation 
programmes. 
3.2.  The preliminary results of this STDF work  will be presented and discussed at a thematic 
session on 26 March 2014. The session will be open to SPS and Trade Facilitation delegates as well 
as STDF Working Group participants. This will be an opportunity to hear about the findings and 
recommendations of the regional research and to  discuss the need for possible follow-up work by 
governments and the broader trade and developm ent community, including the STDF, on a topic 
of widespread interest which has not been system atically addressed until now. A background note 
on this event, including the programme, is circ ulated to the SPS Committee separately and can 
also be viewed and downloaded from the STDF website.
6 
3.2  International Trade and Invasive Alien Species 
3.3.  On the margins of the June 2013 SPS Commi ttee meeting, the STDF, in conjunction with the 
IPPC and OIE, presented the STDF publication on International Trade and Invasive Alien Species.7 
The study reviews and analyses key concepts and principles relevant to IAS and international trade 
in the context of the SPS Agreement and the Conv ention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and in 
relation to the two relevant standard-setting organizations (IPPC and OIE) under the SPS Agreement. It also considers various initiatives to enhance capacities for managing the entry and 
spread of IAS (including plant pests and animal diseases), reviews common challenges and good 
practices, and makes a number of targeted recommendations.  
                                               
4 News story: http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news13_e/sps_29nov13_e.htm ; Full report: 
http://www.standardsfacility.org/Files/KeyDocs/STDF_MTR_Jan-14.pdf . 
5 The work also benefited from a study by the Inte r-American Development Bank on the quarantine 
control situation in Latin America. 
6 See: http://www.standardsfacility.org/en/TATradeFacilitation.htm . 
7 http://www.standardsfacility.org/Files/IAS/STDF_IAS_EN.pdf . G/SPS/GEN/1311 
 
- 3 - 
 
  3.4.  Translations of this publication in French  and Spanish were finalized and will be available 
shortly on the STDF website.8 
3.3  Prioritizing SPS investment options 3.5.  Since 2010, the STDF has supported the deve lopment of a decision-support tool, based on 
Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), to help developing countries prioritize options to 
strengthen SPS capacity for market access. In June 2013, the STDF organized a workshop on the use of this tool. STDF partners, donors, developing  country experts, observer organizations and in 
particular beneficiaries who had applied the tool  reviewed and took stock of experiences and 
lessons learned in countries where the framework was used, and considered options to improve the methodology and process through which it is applied. 
3.6.  Based on the recommendations of the wo rkshop, and following discussions in the Working 
Group in October 2013, the STDF will revise and finalize the current user guide into a more 
practical and easy-to-use toolkit. This work will be further pursued during the second half of the year. Initial discussions on finalizing this into a "multimedia" toolkit were held with WTO's 
E-learning unit. More information on the decision-support tool, including previous STDF events and 
publications, and experiences of countries where the tool has been used, can be found on the STDF website.
9 
3.7.  Members who are interested in applying a structured and transparent approach to establish 
priorities between alternative SPS capacity building options, while benefiting from inputs from both 
public and private sector, are encouraged to contact the STDF Secretariat. 
3.4  New STDF film  
3.8.  Building on the success of the STDF film "Trading Safely: Protecting Health, Promoting 
Development" (developed in 2009), the STDF will de velop additional audio-visual case stories that 
demonstrate the usefulness of specific approaches in building SPS capacity. These stories could be 
linked to previous STDF thematic work, for inst ance the use of SPS capacity evaluation tools, 
public-private partnerships to build SPS capacity, international trade and invasive alien species, links between SPS and Trade Facilitation, etc.  
3.9.  The existing film (also available in Arabic, Chinese and Russian) continues to be widely 
distributed and shown at workshops, training co urses and other events. The film can be viewed 
and downloaded on STDF's website.
10 The Secretariat can send hard copies of the film to Members 
upon request. 
3.5  New STDF website and virtual library 
3.10.  In June 2013, the STDF Secretariat began work on a new STDF website (based on a content 
management system). This will allow the Secretariat to more easily publish, edit and modify 
content. Finalization of this project was foreseen in the first quarter of 2014 but then unfortunately 
delayed. It is expected that the new website be launched in June 2014. A brief demonstration of the new website and its functionalities could be provided to Members at the next SPS Committee 
meeting in July. 
3.11.  A new version of the STDF Virtual Library will be integrated into the new website. The 
library (accessible from the STDF homepage) is an electronic information management system providing quick and easy online access to a variety of information resources focused on SPS 
technical cooperation and capacity building. It helps in facilitating STDF's role as a knowledge 
platform for exchanging SPS-related capacity bu ilding information, sharing experiences, and 
identifying and disseminating good practice. The new version will complement and include links to 
other information systems and databases developed and maintained by STDF partners, donors and 
other organizations. 
                                               
8 See: http://www.standardsfacility.org/en/TAIAS.htm . 
9 See: http://www.standardsfacility.org/en/TAEcoAnalysis.htm . 
10 See: http://www.standardsfacility.org/en/IRVideos.htm . G/SPS/GEN/1311 
 
- 4 - 
 
  3.12.  Members are particularly encouraged to su bmit the following documents to the Secretariat 
(STDFSecretariat@wto.org ) for inclusion in the Library: project documents and final reports, 
training materials, project evaluations/reviews,  SPS capacity needs assessments, cost-benefit 
analyses, case studies, relevant research papers  and other articles on SPS capacity building. 
4  PROJECT DEVELOPMENT 
4.1.  The STDF provides advice and support to beneficiaries on issues related to SPS project 
development and finances project preparation grants (PPGs) to assist beneficiaries in the 
articulation of their SPS needs and the development of technically sound and sustainable project 
proposals. Seed funding up to US$50,000 is available for PPGs, which can be used for any of the following purposes (or a combination thereof): (i) application of SPS-related capacity evaluation and prioritization tools; (ii) preparation of feasibility studies that precede project development to 
assess the potential impact and economic viability of proposals (expected costs and benefits); 
and/or (iii) preparation of project proposals that can be funded by the STDF or other donors. 
4.2.  A total of 60 PPGs have been approved and f unded by the STDF since its inception. The STDF 
Working Group may approve additional PPGs for funding at its next meeting on 27 March 2014. 
5  PROJECT FUNDING 5.1.  Project grant financing up to a maximum of US$1,000,000 is available from the STDF. 
Favourable consideration is given to projects that focus on one or more of the following: 
(i) the identification, development and dissemination of good practice in SPS-related technical cooperation, including the development and application of innovative and replicable approaches; (ii) STDF work on cross-cutting topics of common interest; (iii) the use of regional approaches to 
address SPS constraints; and/or (iv) collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches focused on the 
interface/linkages between human, animal and plant health and trade, and benefiting from the 
involvement of two or more STDF partne rs or other relevant organizations. 
5.2.  A total of 66 projects have been approved for STDF funding since its inception. The STDF 
Working Group may approve additional projects fo r funding at its next meeting on 27 March 2014. 
5.3.  Annex I provides an overview of on-going STDF projects and PPGs. Since its inception, the 
STDF has devoted 54% of its project and PPG resources to LDCs and other low income countries 
(OLICs), as shown in Figure 1 below. Hence, the STDF continues to meet its target to devote at least 40% of its project and PPG resources to LD C s  a n d  O L I C s .  N o t a b l y ,  t h e  a l l o c a t i o n  o f  P P G  
resources to LDCs and OLICs remains high (i.e. 80% of the overall budget for PPGs). 
Figure 1: STDF projects and PPGs (US$) 
 
 
5.4.  Figure 2 below indicates that 52% of the number of STDF projects and PPGs has gone to 
Sub-Saharan Africa, 19% to Asia, and 16% to Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition, 10% 
of STDF projects and PPGs can be classified as global. 
G/SPS/GEN/1311 
 
- 5 - 
 
  Figure 2: STDF Projects and PPGs (number) 
 
 
5.5.  Applications for STDF funding can be made at any point in the year but should be received at least 60 working days in advance of each Working Group meeting in order to be considered at that 
meeting. The next deadline for the submission of applications is 18 July 2014 . 
Recommended steps to follow when seeking PG or PPG funding opportunities with the STDF: 
1. Browse our PPG http://www.standardsfacility.org/en/PGPpgStat.htm  and PG 
http://www.standardsfacility.org/en/PGProStat.htm  webpages for examples of previous 
projects. 
2. Carefully read our guidan ce note for applicants: 
http://www.standardsfacility.org/File s/Forms/STDFGuidanceNote_en.pdf . 
3. Consult relevant stakeholders in the country/region. 
4. Send us a brief concept note of your potential project for feedback on eligibility and 
likelihood of funding ( STDFSecretariat@wto.org ). 
5. Fill out an application form ( http://www.standardsfacility.org/en/FDAppForms.htm ) and 
submit it electronically before the deadline. 
 
 
 
  G/SPS/GEN/1311  
 
- 6 - ANNEX I 
IMPLEMENTATION STATUS OF ONGOING STDF PROJECTS AND PROJECT PREPARATION GRANTS1 
STATUS OF APPROVED PROJECTS 
Ref. No. Title Objective Beneficiary Implementing 
entity/ person Approval 
date Start Date End Date Budget 
(US$) 
STDF/PG/242 Strategy to 
strengthen the SPS 
system in Comoros Build SPS capacity in the 
country in a comprehensive 
and systematic manner in order to increase its market access for potential 
agricultural products and 
fisheries. Comoros  United Nations 
Development 
Programme (UNDP) 30-Mar-12 17-Sep-12 16-Sep-15 $1,033,673 
STDF/PG/302 Support to the 
cabbage sector in the 
Niayes Region of 
Senegal Increase the production of 
cabbage and foment exports 
from the Niayes region by 
controlling the spread and 
impact of specific pests and 
assisting producers in 
meeting the Maximum 
Residue Limits established 
by Codex. Senegal Association 
des Unions 
Maraichères 
des Niayes 
(AUMN), 
Senegal 19-Mar-10 01-Feb-12 31-Jan-14 $577,142 
STDF/PG/303 Regional Total Diet 
Study for Sub-
Saharan Africa Contribute to strengthen 
capacity of risk managers to 
implement international 
standards based on a good knowledge of hazards, risks 
and exposure levels to 
harmful substances in commonly produced and consumed food. Benin, 
Cameroon, 
Mali, 
Nigeria Food and 
Agriculture 
Organization 
of the United Nations 
(FAO); World 
Health Organization (WHO) 19-Mar-13 TBD TBD $1,063,708 
                                               
1 Projects and project preparation grants th at have a start and end date to be determined (TBD) have not yet been contracted.  
  G/SPS/GEN/1311  
 
- 7 - Ref. No. Title Objective Beneficiary Implementing 
entity/ person Approval 
date Start Date End Date Budget 
(US$) 
STDF/PG/316 Strengthening 
phytosanitary 
inspection and 
diagnostic services in 
Azerbaijan Improve provision of 
inspection and diagnostic 
services by the 
Phytosanitary Control 
Service and Customs for 
maintaining the necessary 
level of phytosanitary 
protection for agricultural 
production. Azerbaijan Food and 
Agriculture 
Organization 
of the United 
Nations (FAO) 15-Oct-13 TBD TBD $1,000,000 
STDF/PG/321 Building trade 
capacity of small-
scale shrimp and 
prawn farmers in Bangladesh Organize small-scale farmers 
in manageable clusters and 
assist them in developing 
and adopting Better Management Practices 
(BMPs) to address the 
contamination problem at grass-roots level. Bangladesh Food and 
Agriculture 
Organization 
of the United Nations (FAO) 27-Jun-11 01-Apr-12 21-Mar-14 $568,750 
STDF/PG/328 Beyond Compliance: 
Integrated Systems 
Approach for Pest 
Risk Management in 
Southeast Asia  Develop and test new 
decision-support tools 
focused on an integrated 
Systems Approach for pest 
risk management in 
Southeast Asia (support 
implementation of ISPM 14). Southeast 
Asia Centre for 
Agricultural 
Bioscience 
International 
(CABI) Asia  28-Mar-11 11-Jul-11 10-Jul-14 $600,000 
STDF/PG/329 Enhancing SPS 
capacity of ginger 
exports through a Public-Private 
Partnership in Nepal Increase incomes of 
Nepalese stakeholders in the 
ginger value chain by adding value to the product 
exported to India and 
increase capacity to access new markets. Nepal Food and 
Agriculture 
Organization of the United 
Nations (FAO) 27-Jun-11 07-Jun-12 06-Jun-15 $412,629  
  G/SPS/GEN/1311  
 
- 8 - Ref. No. Title Objective Beneficiary Implementing 
entity/ person Approval 
date Start Date End Date Budget 
(US$) 
STDF/PG/335 Strengthening 
Phytosanitary 
Controls in the 
Floriculture Sector in 
Uganda Enhance pest surveillance 
and diagnostic capacity to 
enable a better 
understanding of pest 
distribution and facilitate the 
implementation of efficient 
control strategies. Uganda Centre for 
Agricultural 
Bioscience 
International 
(CABI) Africa 30-Mar-12 01-Oct-12 30-Sep-14 $348,632 
STDF/PG/336 Enhancing the control 
of transboundary 
animal diseases in Cameroon Build institutional capacity 
and strengthen the 
veterinary services involved in the surveillance system. Cameroon Food and 
Agriculture 
Organization of the United 
Nations (FAO) 27-Jun-11 01-Jun-12 31-May-14 $510,788 
STDF/PG/337 ASEAN Pesticide 
Residue Data 
Generation Project Establish a regional process 
to generate reliable data for 
Maximum Residue Limits 
(MRLs) for selected "minor-
use" crops, as a means to 
promote harmonization with 
international standards and 
enhance market access. ASEAN 
member 
states Association of 
Southeast 
Asian Nations 
(ASEAN) 21-Oct-11 01-Dec-12 30-Nov-15 $607,000 
STDF/PG/343 Competency 
development scheme for the cinnamon 
sector in Sri Lanka Enhance the competiveness 
of the cinnamon industry and the capacity of the 
cinnamon value added 
segment by improving processing and handling practices. Sri Lanka United Nations 
Industrial Development 
Organization 
(UNIDO) 21-Oct-11 01-Jul-12 30-Jun-14 $630,000 
STDF/PG/344 Establishment of a 
Regional Virtual Food 
Inspection School in 
Central America and 
Dominican Republic Harmonize modern 
inspection procedures 
conducted by a properly 
trained cadre of food 
inspectors and food safety 
auditors in the region to 
contribute to facilitating 
trade and improving public 
health. Central 
America, 
Dominican 
Republic Inter-
American 
Institute for 
Cooperation 
on Agriculture 
(IICA) 30-Mar-12 01-Jul-12 30-Jun-15 $905,225  
  G/SPS/GEN/1311  
 
- 9 - Ref. No. Title Objective Beneficiary Implementing 
entity/ person Approval 
date Start Date End Date Budget 
(US$) 
STDF/PG/345 Feed and Food 
Security Programme for Latin America and 
the Caribbean Contribute to the 
harmonization of the regulatory framework for the 
production and 
commercialization of animal feed, ensuring its safety and access to markets, based on 
the standards and 
recommendations of Codex and the OIE. Argentina, 
Brazil, Chile, Costa 
Rica, 
Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, 
Uruguay Asociación de 
las Industrias de 
Alimentación 
Animal de América Latina y 
Caribe 
(FEEDLATINA) 19-Mar-13 15-Feb-14 14-Feb-17 $991,100 
STDF/PG/350 Global Phytosanitary 
Manuals, Standard 
Operating Procedures 
and Training Kits Address the need in 
developing countries for 
documented technical 
resources to enhance their 
capacity to understand and 
implement International 
Standards on Phytosanitary 
Measures (ISPMs). Côte 
d'Ivoire, 
Jamaica, 
Malaysia, 
Sudan International 
Plant 
Protection 
Convention 
(IPPC) 28-Mar-11 01-Feb-12 31-Jan-15 $600,000 
STDF/PG/354 Improving Safety and 
Quality of Fruits and 
Vegetables in Sri Lanka Analyse SPS constraints 
along the value chains, 
enhance public and private sector stakeholders capacity 
to meet international SPS 
requirements and improve public-private cooperation and networking. Sri Lanka International 
Trade Centre 
(ITC) 30-Mar-12 01-Mar-13 28-Feb-15 $562,484 
STDF/PG/358 Improving veterinary 
legislation in OIRSA 
member countries Strengthen the veterinary 
services in the region by 
harmonizing the legal 
framework in accordance 
with OIE standards for the 
control and eradication of 
animal diseases. OIRSA 
member 
countries Organismo 
Internacional 
Regional de 
Sanidad 
Agropecuaria 
(OIRSA) 30-Mar-12 01-May-13 30-Apr-15 $488,330  
  G/SPS/GEN/1311  
 
- 10 - Ref. No. Title Objective Beneficiary Implementing 
entity/ person Approval 
date Start Date End Date Budget 
(US$) 
STDF/PG/359 African Pesticide 
Residue Data Generation Project Enhance regional capacity in 
pesticide residues data generation and monitoring 
for establishing, 
implementing, and complying with international pesticide residue standards. Benin, 
Cameroon, Ghana, 
Kenya, Mali, 
Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda , 
Zambia African Union 
InterAfrican Bureau for 
Animal 
Resources (AU-IBAR) 11-Oct-12 01-May-13 30-Apr-16 $446,150 
STDF/PG/381 CocoaSafe: SPS 
capacity building and 
knowledge sharing for 
the cocoa sector in 
South East Asia  Maintain and increase 
market access of cocoa 
exports by improving 
practices along the supply 
chain to meet international 
food safety standards. Indonesia, 
Malaysia, 
Papua New 
Guinea  International 
Cocoa 
Organization 
(ICCO) 11-Oct-12 01-Nov-13 31-Oct-15 $604,491 
STDF/PG/401 Training of 
Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation 
(PCE) Facilitators Improve the capability of 
developing countries to use the Phytosanitary Capacity 
Evaluation (PCE) tool to 
evaluate their capacities, identify gaps and plan their national phytosanitary and 
development programmes. Developing 
countries International 
Plant Protection 
Convention 
(IPPC) 11-Oct-12 TBD TBD $625,148 
STDF/PG/436 Strengthening 
regional capacity in 
Latin America to meet 
pesticides export 
requirements Strengthen the capacity of 
Latin American countries in 
pesticide residues data 
generation and monitoring, 
to support the establishment 
and implementation of 
international standards. Bolivia, 
Colombia, 
Costa Rica, 
Dominican 
Republic, 
Ecuador, El 
Salvador, 
Guatemala, 
Honduras, 
Nicaragua, 
Panama, 
Peru Inter-
American 
Institute for 
Cooperation 
on Agriculture 
(IICA) 19-Mar-13 01-Oct-13 30-Sep-16 $346,450 
  
  G/SPS/GEN/1311  
 
- 11 - STATUS OF APPROVED PROJECT PREPARATION GRANTS (PPGs) 
 
Ref. No. Title Objective Beneficiary Implementing 
entity/ 
person Approval 
date Start Date End Date Budget 
(US$) 
STDF/PPG/346-
347-348 Feasibility study on 
the concept of the 
COMESA Green Pass Conduct a feasibility study 
to clarify the concept of the 
Green Pass and address legal and technical issues as 
well as its economic and 
commercial viability. COMESA 
members Common 
Market for 
Eastern and Southern 
Africa 
(COMESA) 27-Jun-11 01-Jan-12 31-Dec-13 $90,000 
STDF/PPG/377 Strengthening the 
National Plant 
Protection System in 
The Gambia Conduct a comprehensive 
assessment of the 
phytosanitary capacity gaps 
using the IPPC-PCE Tool 
and develop a project to 
implement action points to 
enhance the national plant 
protection system. The Gambia International 
Plant 
Protection 
Convention 
(IPPC) 30-Mar-12 01-Feb-13 Upon 
approval $50,000 
STDF/PPG/379 Promoting the 
effective participation 
of SADC member 
states in the WTO SPS Committee Strengthen the capacity of 
SPS authorities in SADC 
member states to be able to 
effectively implement their SPS obligations and assert 
their rights as WTO 
Members. SADC 
member 
states Kevin Walker 22-Mar-13 15-Jul-13 Upon 
approval $25,000 
STDF/PPG/392 Integrating SPS in 
Sierra Leone: A whole 
chain approach to 
developing the 
national food safety 
management system Assess the national food 
safety management system 
and develop plans for 
institutional capacity 
building and determine 
priorities in order to achieve 
compliance with SPS 
requirements. Sierra Leone Food and 
Agriculture 
Organization 
of the United 
Nations (FAO)  19-Mar-13 01-Nov-13 15-Apr-14 $39,000  
  G/SPS/GEN/1311  
 
- 12 - Ref. No. Title Objective Beneficiary Implementing 
entity/ 
person Approval 
date Start Date End Date Budget 
(US$) 
STDF/PPG/404 Developing virus 
indexing capacity for 
planting materials in 
Malawi Undertake a feasibility 
study to assess the viability 
of building capacity for 
indexing and production of virus-free planting materials 
for bananas in Malawi. Malawi Department 
of Agricultural 
Research 
Services (DARS), 
Malawi 19-Mar-13 01-Nov-13 Upon 
approval $18,701 
STDF/PPG/428 Trade and Improved 
Livelihoods in Aquatic 
Production in Africa 
(TILAPIA) Assist in consolidating a 
concept note for a regional 
project to build capacity on 
fish health and aquatic 
biosecurity to sustain and 
develop aquaculture and 
fisheries in Africa. African 
countries African Union 
InterAfrican 
Bureau for 
Animal 
Resources 
(AU-IBAR) 15-Oct-13 TBD TBD $50,000 
STDF/PPG/432 Information systems 
for surveillance and 
pest reporting in Asia Pacific countries Enable countries to 
implement international 
phytosanitary standards and to fulfil their SPS 
obligations mainly related to 
transparency and risk assessment. Asia Pacific 
countries Australia's 
Department 
of Agriculture Fisheries and 
Forestry 
(DAFF) 19-Mar-13 TBD TBD $49,990 
STDF/PPG/435 Strengthening SPS 
compliance of sesame 
production in Sudan 
for enhanced access 
to international 
markets Carry out an assessment of 
compliance challenges of 
sesame production for 
exports and elaborate a 
project proposal aiming to 
strengthen SPS compliance 
to enhance access to 
international markets. Sudan United 
Nations 
Industrial 
Development 
Organization 
(UNIDO) 15-Oct-13 TBD TBD $50,000  
  G/SPS/GEN/1311  
 
- 13 - Ref. No. Title Objective Beneficiary Implementing 
entity/ 
person Approval 
date Start Date End Date Budget 
(US$) 
STDF/PPG/453 Building capacity and 
facilitating enabling 
mechanisms for 
harmonizing Aquaculture 
Certification Pilot test the conformity 
evaluation framework being 
developed by FAO and 
develop a project proposal to support the development 
and implementation of 
public aquaculture certification systems to 
contribute to intra-regional 
free trade. ASEAN 
member 
states Network of 
Aquaculture 
Centres in 
Asia Pacific (NACA) 15-Oct-13 TBD TBD $48,000 
STDF/PPG/462 Operationalization of 
the Scientific Affairs 
and Food Control 
Directorates of the 
newly established 
Food Safety and 
Quality authority of 
the Gambia Support a five-year 
Development Plan in 
relation to the efficient and 
effective functioning of the 
Scientific Affairs Directorate 
and Food Control 
Directorate. The Gambia TBD 15-Oct-13 TBD TBD $50,000 
 
 
__________