The government of Ireland has donated EUR 150,000 (CHF 164,000) in 2016 to help the WTO’s poorest members implement food safety, animal health and plant health standards and improve their sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) capacity.
Another contribution of EUR 150,000 (CHF 164,000) will be directed to the internship programme sponsored by France and Ireland and aimed at assisting the permanent missions of developing countries in Geneva.
Ireland’s SPS contribution has been donated to the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF), a global partnership that aims to help developing and least-developed countries (LDCs) access agricultural markets.
This latest donation from Ireland is important in ensuring that the global trading system supports development — and helps to improve capacity of the WTO’s poorest members.
Since 2002, Ireland has donated to the various WTO trust funds a total of nearly CHF 12 million.