Melvin Spreij

Melvin heads the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) – a global partnership that helps developing countries to boost food safety, animal and plant health, and gain and maintain market access. He oversees STDF’s Trust Fund, totalling more than US$80 million since 2008 and supporting over 220 projects in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean. Leading a team of eight experts, Melvin manages STDF’s global knowledge platform, working closely with STDF’s founding agencies (FAO, OIE, World Bank, WHO, WTO, Codex and IPPC), development partners and beneficiaries.

Melvin has longstanding expertise in trade, development, law and agriculture, as a Counsellor in the Agriculture and Commodities Division of the WTO, and previously at FAO and other international organizations. He holds a civil and business law degree from the State University Leiden, The Netherlands and has published widely on leading policy areas covering sustainable development and natural resources.