ITC and The Netherlands based
CBI agreed to set up close cooperation between CBI’s Export Coaching Programme in the Home Decoration/Home Textiles sector in Vietnam and the
UN Joint Programme. The joint programme is a collaboration between the Vietnamese government and five United Nations agencies: ITC, the U.N. Industrial Development Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Labour Organization and the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development, and will particularly benefit women, who are traditionally more active in crafts production. The programme is financed by Spain’s MDG Achievement Fund, whose aim is to accelerate progress on the Millennium Development Goals worldwide.
The agreement between ITC and CBI is based on the common objective of the two organizations to contribute to trade-led development by strengthening the competitiveness of Vietnamese exporters of home decor and home textiles by promoting their participation in international trade. As part of the agreement, CBI intends to support, through inclusion in its Export Coaching Programme, between 15-30 companies which are also beneficiaries of the joint programme, provided these companies meet their application criteria.
When approved for the programme, companies will receive individual support by means of on-site consultancy, training schemes, market information, trade fair participation, both regional (e.g.
LifeStyle Vietnam) and international and business match-making. Depending on its specific needs, companies also receive support in the field of business development, certification and product(ion) improvement.