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In this interview, Marlynne Hopper—Head a.i. of the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) Secretariat, hosted by the World Trade Organization—shares insights on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) capacity, innovative financing, and the partnerships that make safe trade and resilient agrifood systems possible.
Marlynne Hopper
Head a.i., Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) Secretariat, hosted by the World Trade Organization
Join Marlynne Hopper at the side event “Financing and Implementing One Health for Sustainable Agrifood Systems Transformation” on 22 September 2026 during the FAO Global Conference for Actions on One Health in Agrifood Systems.
Michelle Tang/GDPRD Secretariat: Please briefly introduce STDF, its relationship to the World Trade Organization (WTO), and why its work is particularly relevant today.
Marlynne Hopper/STDF Secretariat: The Facility is a global partnership to facilitate safe trade, helping developing countries meet international standards for food safety, animal and plant health. This enables them to protect health and participate in —and benefit more from —trade that contributes to economic growth, food security and resilience to climate change.
Established about 20 years ago by the WTO together with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Bank, the World Health Organization, and the World Organisation for Animal Health, it is housed at the WTO. It’s a partnership supported by donors and engaging developing-country experts, regional and international organizations and the private sector, all involved in Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) capacity development and trade.
Non-tariff measures, many of which are SPS measures, affect as much as 90% of global trade by volume. When developing countries lack the capacity to implement those measures, small-scale producers, women traders, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are the first to be excluded from markets.
Strengthening SPS capacity is critical to ensure standards become catalysts for development, as recognized in the World Bank’s 2025 World Development Report, rather than unintended barriers. Weak SPS systems mean barriers to market access, lost trade, reduced competitiveness, fewer jobs and limited agribusiness expansion.
The multilateral trading system provides the anchor for stability and resilience.
Michelle: In the current environment of geopolitical tensions and trade fragmentation, how can support to the multilateral trading system contribute to stability and resilience in global agrifood systems?
Marlynne: The multilateral trading system provides the anchor for stability and resilience. When trade becomes less predictable, producers and businesses face higher costs and uncertainty that threatens livelihoods, jobs and food security. The consequences are most acute for small farmers and MSMEs in low-income and more vulnerable countries.
Three reasons stand out. First, predictability: the rules offer a shared global framework applying to all 166 WTO members. Second, transparency, on export restrictions, SPS measures, trade facilitation and other areas, which helps prevent disruptive policies and allows countries to adjust before trade crises escalate. Third, it supports resilience and inclusion by helping diversify supply chains and ensuring that developing and least-developed countries remain integrated into regional and global markets.
Non-tariff measures, many of which are Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, affect as much as 90% of global trade by volume.
Michelle: The STDF has been innovating in financing, an area the Donor Platform has been engaging in since 2023. What insights from our work have been useful?
Marlynne: This work came as a follow-up to the last programme evaluation and during development of our new STDF strategy for 2025-2030.
In 2024, traditional sources of financing and ODA came under pressure. The study highlighted persistent SPS investment challenges: chronic underinvestment, high compliance costs, fragmented financing, limited private-sector participation and risk sharing, and a missing link between bankable projects and financiers.
It also identified opportunities. SPS systems should no longer be viewed purely as compliance costs, but as strategic investments and enablers in public health, safe trade facilitation and economic resilience.
The study pointed to the value of building more evidence on return on investment, linking to previous STDF work such as PIMA, which helps prioritize SPS investments for market access. And explored new or alternative financing sources and mechanisms—from blended finance to guarantees and results-based financing.
The findings align with the Donor Platform’s work on financing for rural development and with the 2025 Financing for Development Conference outcome document, which calls for blended finance initiatives to focus on sustainable development impact.
In Ethiopia, a small STDF project strengthening the regulatory framework laid the foundations for over US$170 million in World Bank livestock financing. In Bangladesh, a project on horticulture reframed SPF improvements as trade competitiveness tools rather than a regulatory obligation, helping mobilize US$300,000 in private commercial cofinancing.
Public funds will still be needed. But making SPS investments “investable”—showing how they generate export revenue, avoid losses and achieve market access gains—can help generate financing.
This work gives us ideas to reshape what we’re already doing in a more strategic and catalytic way to help country governments mobilize financing to strengthen SPS systems for safe trade facilitation.
SPS capacity is critical to ensure standards become catalysts for development…rather than unintended barriers.
Michelle: The Donor Platform offers a trusted and informal space outside of formal processes. What is the value of this for the STDF, and where do you see opportunities for collaboration?
Marlynne: These partnership approaches and informal spaces are valuable because they provide that safe space for candid dialogue across organizations, donors and private-sector associations.
They complement formal intergovernmental structures because of their flexibility, openness and strategic exchange. We see interconnections across rural development, agrifood systems and SPS systems, involving actors with distinct interests but real value in working together. That’s a key part of the STDF strategy.
The Donor Platform enables us to stay abreast of trends shaping agrifood systems and rural development that are relevant for SPS capacity development and safe trade facilitation. We can learn from this engagement and help shape narratives together so our partnerships can act more strategically.
The Platform’s partnership approaches and informal spaces are valuable because they provide that safe space for candid dialogue across organizations, donors and private‑sector associations.
Michelle: Before we conclude, could you share a bit about your career journey?
Marlynne: I grew up on a farm in Northern Ireland. Through my studies in international relations and an opportunity to join FAO as a junior professional officer funded by the UK government, working on the World Food Summit in 1996, I entered international development.
I later moved to Viet Nam for field experience, working with FAO and GIZ before returning to FAO to work on biosecurity. I then moved to the STDF, given the SPS-trade linkages.
My advice for young people is to take risks and seize opportunities. Careers are not always linear, but making the most of early short contracts helped me stay in this field and contribute.
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