International Trade Forum

Giving Voice to the 'Silent Majority'

Government trade officials, business representatives and researchers at a "Business for Development" forum in Dec 2005 stressed the need for business to make its views known to government before the latter enacts domestic law on trade or establishes national positions in international trade negotiations. Collectively, they form a vast and voiceless "silent majority". On the plus side, it also presented a number of case studies from both developed and developing countries, including several hi...

Multilateralism Is Better for Business

The aftermath of the World Trade Organization's Ministerial meeting in Hong Kong, China is a good time to remind everyone of why multilateral trade agreements serve the interests of today's global production system in a way that the alternative -- a fragmented system of bilateral agreements -- does not. Products are no longer made in one factory and under one roof. Increasingly, production is dispersed across different factories in different countries -- it is becoming globalized. Dispersed m...

Trade Talks: How Itc Can Help

Call for Papers: Reducing Poverty Through Export Strategies

Towards Inclusive Trade Policy

Uganda's Services Coalition Finds Strength in Numbers

Governments conduct negotiations on the General Agreement on Trade in Services, but in practice it is businesses that trade. In least developed countries like Uganda, it is small firms that trade the most. "SMEs" in Uganda are not simply small and medium-sized enterprises, but small and micro enterprises. Because of their size, they can only influence trade negotiations through coalitions with firms that have similar features and challenges. Their effectiveness depends on the number and varie...

How to Get the Best Out of the Wto and How to Avoid the Pitfalls: New Publications Point the Way

Books on the WTO have been rolling off the presses around the globe this past year, the organization's tenth anniversary, as any Internet search will show. Some are critical, some anecdotal and some impenetrably analytical. Few provide the insight on practical experience in negotiating entry and on drawing maximum advantage from membership that developing country diplomats and negotiators, business groups, individual firms, civil society bodies and even academics and specialist journalists of...

Itc and Denmark Help South-South Cotton Trade

Trade ministers meeting in Hong Kong, China last year urged the development community and WTO members to further scale up its cotton-specific assistance and promote and support South-South cooperation, including transfer of technology. An ITC-led project, financed by Denmark, aims to do just that. Thirty-three African countries are producers and net exporters of cotton. The Danish grant of US$580,000 will enable ITC to help African cotton producers understand and participate in world cotton m...

From The Editor

A New Trade Democracy...In the Making

A short time ago, people saw trade policy as a matter for economists outlining trade scenarios, government officials negotiating behind closed doors or business lobbies in Washington, Brussels, Geneva and other cities. No longer. Seattle's trade meeting shattered this stereotype, as thousands of protesters marched against globalization. Doha's response was a declaration to make trade work for all. So today's picture is different, with a new ensemble of voices. "Trade democracy" and wider advo...

Itc News

Donors Evaluate Itc

Donors and beneficiaries welcomed the outcome of a two-year external evaluation of ITC at an informal meeting of its Joint Advisory Group in Nov 2005. It resulted in six volumes of reports, including country assessments; evaluations of ITC tools, programs and services; analysis of corporate issues such as human resource development, governance structures and business processes; and a final Synthesis Report. The evaluation endorsed ITC's overall strategy, noting, ITC has considerable knowledge...

Meet Itc's New Leaders

The two new leaders of ITC are featured. Patricia R. Francis, an award-winning leader and business facilitator, will head ITC from Jun 2006. Francis comes to ITC from the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), of which she has been President since 1995. Francis is a member of the Development Council, a committee of the Cabinet of Jamaica responsible for policy development for the country, as well as a Board member of the National Investment Bank of Jamaica and the Planning Institute of Jama...

Putting Market Access Issues On the Map

When it comes to keeping existing export markets and finding new ones, understanding market access conditions remains a key challenge for developing countries. ITC's tariff and trade policy analysis tool, Market Access Map, is ready to be of help to developing countries. It provides customs tariffs and trade data of both WTO member countries and most non-members. This information is usually complex and scattered across many sources, but Market Access Map brings together in one place, giving u...

Promoting Services Trade in Southern Africa

While service firms account for much of southern Africa's economic growth and new jobs, export strategies in the region have rarely focused on this "invisible" sector. Countries need to be more sensitive to the fact that trade in services exists and represents enormous economic opportunities, including between countries in the South. With that aim, ITC organized a "Bridges across Borders" meeting for service sector associations from nine countries in southern Africa. Representatives from the ...

Tpos in Global Trade: Opportunities and Challenges

Itc News In Brief

Itc, Ec and Wto Explore Partnership for Africa

Jitap Partners Review Cooperation Programme

Itc Information Products

Newsletters at Itc: New and Improved

International Trade Bulletins

New Books and Technical Papers

Trade Forum Online - Your Feedback, Our Views

Towards Inclusive Trade Policy

Humanizing Globalization

More and more people demand that globalization be humanized. In rich and poor countries, there is a widely-held perception that globalization has negative effects on some individuals. Globalization is a fundamental transformation in societies that is enabling individuals, corporations and states to influence actions around the world -- faster, deeper and cheaper than ever before. Global governance can help society achieve its common purpose with equity and justice. People's growing interdepen...

Good Governance Opens New Doors to Advocacy

Good governance in trade policy provides legitimate channels of access to decision-makers, not only for business, but also for other groups -- women, consumers, environmental protection activists and so on. To be transparent and inclusive, the process has to include open debate to resolve inevitable conflicts of interest, lay down common positions and establish what Prof Michel Kostecki, consultant on business advocacy to ITC, calls the "community of interests". As discussions between groups ...

Find Networks for Support

The Trade Debate Needs the Voice of Business

A dual discourse has evolved since the Doha Declaration was announced in Nov 2001: that of reconciling multilateral trade liberalization with multiple and diverse developmental priorities. The perception remains that business has shown a lack of constructive engagement in the multilateral trade policy debate. Leading non-governmental advocacy groups, meanwhile, have widened their influence. The trade debate has now entered the public sphere, a non-habitual ground for business. This means that...

Portraits Of Trade Development

New Jobs for Poor Communities Through Trade

The article presents the how three developing countries: Eastern Cape in South Africa, Brazil and India developed. At Eastern Cape in South Africa, three years ago, ITC helped to launch a project to produce and export aloe ferox-based products. Since then it has helped to create nearly 170 jobs. Costa do Sauipe is Brazil's largest resort, known for the beauty of its natural environment. But many visitors may not realize the poverty of the people living near it. ITC helped eight very poor comm...