Other Partners
Below is information regarding ITC’s work with some key partners. The news items at the bottom will be from our work with these and other partners.
Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF)
In 2011, ITC supported 23 LDCs in achieving greater benefit from the EIF, a multi-stakeholder initiative that sets the standard on how Aid for Trade should be delivered in LDCs. An integrated package of assistance was formulated at the request of the Gambia under EIF funding, and an additional package responded to the needs of Lao PDR under SECO funding. As a result of intense consultations between ITC and national EIF stakeholders, six programmes have been finalized with Cambodia, Maldives, Nepal, Uganda and Zambia, and are expected to begin implementation by mid-2012. In October 2011, and as a follow-up to the LDC-IV Conference, ITC organized a project-facilitation workshop for eight LDCs interested in developing the tourism sector for the benefit of poor communities, with support from EIF Tier-2. During the event, which was held in collaboration with partner agencies of the Steering Committee on Tourism for Development (SCTD), extensive rounds of consultations were held to identify bottlenecks in the project formulation process and corresponding solutions. As a follow up to the workshop, ITC and its SCTD partners are helping various LDCs formulate projects that respond to the countries’ needs as identified under the EIF.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
Since 2009, ITC and
ISO have undertaken a unique initiative aimed at building linkages between NSBs and TPOs for export success. The work has raised awareness and established connections among 130 officials in 60 countries through a series of three regional workshops (Malaysia 2009, Cuba 2010,
United Republic of Tanzania 2011), as well as follow-up initiatives and a
joint ISO/ITC publication, Building Linkages for Export Success.
In 2011, the regional workshop organized jointly by ITC and ISO brought together 50 officials from National Standards Bodies and Trade Promotion Organizations representing 22 Anglophone countries in Africa. They explored how their linkages can be strengthened to improve the international competitiveness of enterprises and develop joint country action plans.
Regional Economic Commissions (RECs)
Responding to Africa’s trade-development needs from a regional approach requires working with a wide variety of actors and stakeholders: REC secretariats, member states, regional business organizations, SMEs, civil society and development cooperation agencies. This puts a premium on effective multi-stakeholder engagement. ITC’s largest regional programme, PACT II, uses an innovative approach to support RECs in building TSIs’ capacities to champion intra- and interregional trade. This includes fostering public-private partnerships and dialogue, enhancing sector specific competitiveness and market links, coaching businesswomen in achieving export success, and encouraging dialogue between RECs to achieve coherence in their approaches to trade development and promotion. Ultimately, ITC’s strategy in working with these RECs is founded on the value of generating a more robust involvement of the private sector in Aid for Trade.
Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries (CBI)
ITC and CBI have a partnership well beyond the usual donor / implementer relationship. As part of the NTF II partnership, the two organizations built a truly collaborative process on project design in the target countries as well as a shared process for measuring results and monitoring quality. Both organizations expect to use the tools to inform other projects outside the partnership. Beyond NTF II, the two organizations also agreed to partner to develop best practices on monitoring and evaluation and market intelligence.
WEConnect / International Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW)
In 2011, ITC cemented partnerships with WEConnect International, the Chongqing Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Commission, the International Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW), the International Women’s Coffee Alliance, SPINNA and Quantum Leaps to conceive and deliver joint activities under the Global Platform for Action on Sourcing from Women Vendors. In addition, an MOU was signed by ITC and BPW, under which ITC renewed its commitment to provide trade support strengthening services to create linkages between buyers and sellers in 96 countries. This led to sales of US$ 15 million in 2011.
UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (UNSPECA)
Representatives of Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, as well as Turkey, UNECE, ESCAP, IMF, ITC, ITFC, UNDP and UNIDO participated in the sixth meeting of the SPECA Project Working Group on Trade held in Ashgabat. The meeting reviewed the results of the SPECA Ministerial Conference on an Aid for Trade Roadmap, held in Baku in December 2010, and the implementation of the recommendations in the Baku Ministerial Declaration. Project Working Group participants expressed support for the efforts of the SPECA countries to improve integration into regional and international trading systems. The concluding declaration emphasized the importance of improving information exchange and cooperation among donors, implementing institutions and beneficiary countries in the region, and considered the possibility of organizing a donor meeting in the coming 18 months, and a regional capacity-building seminar on trade mirror statistics, with ITC’s support.