International Trade Forum

New Business-Ngo Partnerships Help the World's Poorest

As international businesses explore the developing world to find new consumer markets, firms are realizing that long-term prosperity depends on the development of these markets. As a result, more partnerships are springing up between international companies, NGOs and development agencies. They are finding common interests and learning from each other in the process. For years the work of social entrepreneurs often passed unnoticed in the outside world. Now that is changing. Social entrepreneu...

Linking Business Communities to Export Markets

Romania's approach to export development can be summed up in one sentence. First, come together at the national level and work out how to act locally; then, make efforts to ensure local impact through a national strategy institution that can take care of this process. Romania decided to set up the National Export Council to go local and reach out to the poor, to try to bring them into a democratic process of taking decisions on export strategies. Romania first had to build trust among differe...

A Stepping Stone in Regional Markets

Wave Sanitation Services was founded in 2000. It offers services in solid waste management, medical waste management and waste-water treatment. Wave has branch offices around Botswana and an office in South Africa. It has started exporting its medical waste management service to South Africa and hope to expand to Mozambique soon. The company built a strong partnership with local authorities, businesses and communities by becoming a main sponsor of the "Clean Up the World Campaign" in Botswana...

If You Can't Sell It, Don't Make It

For a long time Oman had an economic policy based on the following principle: if it moves, tax it; if it is still moving, legislate it; if it stops, subsidize it. Since 1996 Oman has conducted a new strategy. It identified products that can be sold internationally. It also identified the markets these products can go into. It carried out specific studies on market penetration. It used ITC tools to enhance the capability of its firms. For the last ten years the non-oil exports of Oman have inc...

Itc News

The New Itc

ITC's roadmap for the future emerged during the most recent meeting of its Joint Advisory Group, held in April this year. The aim is to move ITC from having strong products to delivering strategic solutions for its clients. Stronger country programs and in-country partnerships are high on ITC's agenda. The pilot country approach is being tested on a first generation of countries: Lao People's Democratic Republic, Romania, Senegal, Tunisia, Liberia and Uruguay. In these countries ITC has shape...

Itc Information Products

World Tariff Profiles 2006

A Step-by-Step Guide to Food Safety Requirements

ITC and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) have just released a handbook and diagnostic CD-ROM to make it easier for small, food product exporting firms to understand and meet food safety standards for international markets. ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Systems -- An easy-to-use checklist for small business -- Are you ready? helps firms looking to understand the ISO standard for food safety management, ISO 22000:2005. Since ISO 22000 incorporates the principles of "Hazar...

Bangladesh Launches National Version of Export Quality Management Book

International Trade Bulletins

New Books and Technical Papers

Fron The Editor

Taking Off with Trade

Taking Off With Trade

Creating Wealth, Reducing Poverty

A change is under way. Business, government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have realized that they must join forces if they are to tackle one of the biggest moral challenges of this century: ending poverty. Central to this challenge is creating wealth through trade. ITC works with countries to build trade support capacities which transform potential into real export capability. It helps them to gain access to an information infrastructure so that their firms understand market oppor...

Trade In Action

A Journey From Bananas to Chips

Until 1993 Luis Augusto Pajuelo, a farmer in Piura, north-western Peru, was selling bananas at a very low price. Then he hit on the idea of marketing a traditional, locally based snack -- thinly sliced banana chips, deep-fried on 100% vegetable oil and lightly salted, with chili peppers added to create a spicy food, using a secret home-grown recipe. His business Industrias Agricolas SRL still prepares the product in a traditional manner. But today Chifles can be found, as a salty, sweet or sp...

Changing Mindsets with Access! To Markets

Women entrepreneurs' products are now facing competition at the local level because the market has been liberalized. They are seeing a lot of products similar to their own because they operate mainly in the handicrafts sector. One key aspect of the ITC-TFOC ACCESS! program is that it creates awareness about export trade. But women entrepreneurs want to go beyond awareness and focus on market access challenges: quality, finishing, standardizing, finding niche markets, specializing. They are lo...

Itc On The Agenda

Itc Supports 2009 International Colloquium of Women Leaders in Liberia

Jamaican Prime Minister at Itc

Swaziland's Prime Minister Visits Itc

Itc's World Export Development Forum

Encouraging African Business at the World Economic Forum

Aid for Trade: Montreux Meeting Brings Business Voice to Aid for Trade Assessments

Business association leaders from Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America met with trade experts in Montreux, Switzerland in June to shape ideas on how best to channel foreign aid to help developing countries boost their exports. The Montreux dialogue concluded that Aid for Trade programs should look to the private sector as: 1. partners in designing and executing projects, 2. trade policy advocates, and 3. beneficiaries of widely accessible export management and financing programs. Later this...

Itc In The Field

South African Firms Look to Expand Their Share of Un Procurement

South African suppliers and United Nations (UN) procurement officers explored how to expand South African business presence among UN buyers for relief items, in a June meeting organized by the dti, South Africa's Department of Trade and Industry. As the continent's main exporter, South Africa has been the leading African supplier to the UN and, together with Kenya, hosts many UN procurement offices. However, its share in UN procurement is still very small, between 1% and 2%. There is still gr...

European Buyers Meet Organic Farmers in Uganda

The coffee growers of Mount Elgon are just one example of Uganda's growing organic sector. In 2005, the value of organic exports was over $6 million. Yet many European importers are nervous about getting involved in business in Africa. Establishing the first connection face to face can improve trust between the parties. ITC provides support to the organic sector in Uganda, and in late April it set up a Buyers' Tour with the National Organic Agricultural Movement of Uganda. Seven European buye...

World Cup 2010: Itc Supports Tourism Development Kick-Off

Officials, tourist industry leaders and community organizations from South Africa's Eastern Cape province met in Port Elizabeth in June to ensure the region uses the 2010 FIFA World Cup to create a solid basis for reducing poverty, through a lasting boom in tourism. The expected influx of 3.5 million tourists for football's World Cup is considered a business development opportunity. The region has substantial but largely untapped tourism potential in natural resources, wildlife, culture and h...

Viet Nam Integrates Trade Defence Into Its Policy

In January 2007, Viet Nam became the 150th member of the World Trade Organization, after 11 years of preparation, including eight years of negotiation. Vietnamese Trade Minister Truong Dinh Tuyen said the negotiations for WTO membership closely accompanied his country's economic reforms, known as "doi moi". Until recently, Viet Nam did not have any legislation on trade defense measures and, hence, did not possess competence in this area. As a WTO member, Viet Nam needs to carry out investigat...

Itc Trade Support Network

New Trade and Investment Agency in Sierra Leone

In its post-war efforts to revitalize exports, Sierra Leone has set up a new trade promotion authority, the Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency. The initiative is part of a larger reform process to make it easier to do business in Sierra Leone, supported by the World Bank, ITC and the Government of the UK. The new agency aims to raise awareness in the international community about Sierra Leone, as both a producer and an investment destination. The new trade promotion authority...

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