International Trade Forum

Targeting aid at trade capacities in developing countries is a sensible way of boosting export potential. For beneficiary countries to fully gain from Aid for Trade, it must target their ability to produce goods not just for export but also for domestic consumption. This is a point consistently emphasized by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). By developing their productive capacities, countries can more effectively take advantage of the other elements of the Aid ...

Priorities & Possibilities

As the global economic recession rapidly evolves, low-income countries are facing new challenges. But the crisis is also presenting these countries with opportunities to refocus their development strategies in this changing world economy. The impacts of the crisis on their economic performance will depend on the speed and scale of the international response. The quantity and quality of aid, including Aid for Trade, are now more important than ever for economic growth and human welfare. Increa...

100% Aid for Trade

In an interview, Patricia Francis, executive director, ITC, talked about Aid for Trade, opportunities in this financial crisis and the role of ITC. Francis said at the World Trade Organization's Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong in 2005, it was decided to focus on the relationship between trade and development and this has converged around the concept of Aid for Trade. The idea is to build consensus between the finance minister, the development minister and the trade minister on priorities ...

Itc & African Fashion to the Max

In 2008, ITC approached leaders in the fashion community and distributors in Italy and in the UK to test the potential market for bags and accessories produced in Africa. The aim was to build a direct connection with a major fashion house. Creative Director of Max&Co, Luisa Laudi, decided to use some of the samples of materials presented to develop a small collection of bags and scarves. Further samples were required from Uganda and Kenya, involving field missions to select the communitie...

Implementing Aid for Trade in Latin America and the Caribbean: Making Progress

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries, together with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), have endorsed and supported this initiative since the very beginning because they understand the power of trade to change their societies and their region. The bank is committed to this objective. The Aid for Trade initiative is a key platform to move this agenda forward, and it is already yielding results. The national and regional Aid for Trade Reviews organized by the IDB in collaborat...

Aid for Trade in Asia and the Pacific

The global economic crisis has exacerbated the situation. With a precipitous drop in the region's exports, aggregate growth of gross domestic product in developing Asia is forecast to decline from 6.3% in 2008 to around 3.4% this year. Recent meetings in the region have underlined three key points for making Aid for Trade more effective. The first is that regional approaches that support national development strategies are best for multiplying the benefits of Aid for Trade. Second, establishi...

Delivering Effective Regional Strategies

Since its inception, Aid for Trade has spurred debate among stakeholders in a way few other developments could. Developed nations have pledged unprecedented sums, but with the economic downturn and stalemate in the Doha Development Agenda, the outlook for a full-scale implementation of Aid for Trade commitments is grim. It's a "chicken and egg" situation that can only be resolved by establishing new, mutually beneficial mechanisms. Focusing on categories of Aid for Trade needs, the Common Mar...

Trading Stories: Inspiring Accounts of Women in Business

Several trading stories of women in business which are based on the forthcoming publication Economic Opportunities for Women in the Pacific by the International Finance Corp and AusAID, the Australian Government's overseas aid program, are presented. Gio Recycling, a waste management business, and its Managing Director Ofa Tu'ikolovatu are a visible part of Tonga's business landscape. Tu'ikolovatu is well known and respected in business and in the community for her efforts to reduce waste in ...

Itc in Action

Seeing Results - Itc's Pilot Project in Ethiopia

Since 2005, ITC has been working to increase trade and reduce poverty in Ethiopia, specifically by helping to build expert capacity in small businesses within the agricultural sector. The pilot project, known as the Ethiopian Export-led Poverty Reduction Project (EEPRP), has worked with trade support institutions to help establish links between market-oriented production and overseas buyers. Results of the program's first significant survey provide encouraging signs that building trade capaci...

Analysing the Global Crisis

The global financial crisis is not like a tsunami, giant wave sweeping everything in its path, but rather like a series of smaller waves with their impact accumulating over longer periods. Some developing countries will be impacted much more severely than others, but nobody will remain unaffected. The trade and investment impact will accumulate, with reduced remittances and fewer workers migrating. According to the IIF, the level of private capital likely to be invested in developing countrie...