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Policy reform essential for Pakistan to improve trade with India

01/02/2013 04:50:03 AM

That was the conclusion of experts at a public-private dialogue in Pakistan, on 16 January 2013. The event was organized by the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the Pakistan Institute of Trade and Development (PITAD), with the official endorsement...

ITC and CIDA discuss future cooperation

29/01/2013 09:03:46 AM

Mr Paul R. Samson, Director-General for Multilateral Development Institutions at the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), on 29 January visited the International Trade Centre (ITC) where he was met by member of ITC’s senior management led...

Quinoa trade: good or bad for food security in the Andes?

29/01/2013 05:37:50 AM

Farming communities in the Andean Altiplano have been producing the grain quinoa for local consumption for centuries. When foodies in high income countries got wind of its unique nutritional properties, such as the high levels of protein, demand for...

Peru to showcase organic produce at BioFach

28/01/2013 09:58:14 AM

Peruvian organic produce, and in particular quinoa, will on 15 February take centre-stage at BioFach 2013 where the International Trade Centre (ITC) and PromPeru, Peru’s export promotion agency, will organize a forum entitled ‘Peruvian Natural and Organic...

ITC newsletter - January 2013

24/01/2013 01:55:13 AM

ITC News January 2013 Welcome to this month’s e-newsletter from the International Trade Centre, featuring the latest ITC news and updates. A copy of the newsletter can also be read on the website. Have your say on the programme development for WEDF 2013. Fill out our short survey. Ghana: producers and industry experts co-author yam sector strategy When SalamaTulari sat at her roadside shed in Tamale peddling yams and wondering how she’d ever come up with the money to expand her business, she never imagined her voice would help determine the future of Ghana's strategy to develop its yam industry. read more > Tackling obstacles to trade at home first Malawi: Company perspectives - an ITC series on non-tariff measures, a survey of exporters and importers, reveals that Malawi’s main challenges to access markets abroad are linked to product certification and export licensing. read more > ITC’s Trade Map country data reaches record high Up-to-date trade data for more than 110 countries is now available on ITC’s Trade Map, helping businesses and trade support institutions to analyse international trade flows impacting their business, so that they can identify and export to markets with potential. read more > Joined-up value-chain thinking Approximately four million people in developing countries move from rural areas to live in cities every week. While living in rural locations, these people had access to supplies of basic fresh produce of some sort in a local market or from family smallholdings. As they move to the city, however, they lose that source of supply of fresh produce. read more > World Export Development Forum Feedback from delegates to the World Export Development Forum 2012 (WEDF) held in October in Jakarta, Indonesia from the participants is unison: WEDF is very relevant, informative and engaging. Delegates attending WEDF 2012 rated ‘Improving commodity supply chains for greater regional and global food security’ as the best session at the event. To better reflect your needs, we would like to hear what you think WEDF 2013 should focus on. Please complete this short survey before 31 January. International Trade Forum - Issue 04 2012 Growth, innovation and inclusiveness • Turning challenges into opportunities • The changing dynamics of telecommunications • A platform for market intelligence • A woman's world: adding export education to economic aim • Everyone counts in economic development For more information: ITC homepage | Follow us on Twitter Contact us at: itcnews(AT)intracen.org

The Resource Curse – the role of transparency

22/01/2013 12:08:25 PM

“Join the transparency pioneers and take leadership or be part of the small group where opacity reigns”. That was the message at a seminar this week to Switzerland from Publish What You Pay an NGO campaigning for greater transparency in the minerals...

Joined-up value-chain thinking

21/01/2013 03:43:08 AM

Approximately four million people in developing countries move from rural areas to live in cities every week. While living in rural locations, these people had access to supplies of basic fresh produce of some sort in a local market or from family smallholdings....

Reducing carbon emissions in the UN system:voluntary or mandatory measures?

18/01/2013 03:38:39 AM

Scientists agree that climate change is 'unequivocal' and induced by man’s activity. The UN's Environment Programme reported in November 2012 that greenhouse gases are 14% above where they need to be in 2020 for temperature rises to remain below 2C –...

2013 – Year of the Carbon Tax?

16/01/2013 10:53:17 AM

Is 2013 the year when environmental taxes will be mainstreamed? Despite political opposition, carbon taxes were introduced in 2012 in Australia and Japan. Ireland has a carbon tax and a scheme to tax household waste. In the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland,...

ITC and OECD collaborate to reference the Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Standards Map

16/01/2013 04:05:57 AM

Click here to review a 3-4 page summary on the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. Access the Standards Map analysis module to review the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises across 400 criteria....

Growth, innovation and inclusiveness

14/01/2013 02:58:06 AM

This autumn the International Trade Centre (ITC) has organized several events to ensure that growth, innovation and inclusion stay on top of the global trade and development agenda.At the World Export Development Forum 2012 (WEDF), held in Jakarta on...

Taking steps to boost the Bangladeshi software industry

11/01/2013 09:39:58 AM

The International Trade Centre’s (ITC) NTF II Bangladesh team on 7 December (2012) organized an IT industry roundtable discussion at the Digital World conference in Dhaka. During the discussion recommendations from the United Nations Conference on Trade...

Tackling obstacles to trade at home first

10/01/2013 10:17:18 AM

Malawi: Company perspectives — an ITC series on non-tariff measures, a survey by the International Trade Centre of exporters and importers, reveals that Malawi’s main challenges to access markets abroad are two-fold in relation to non-tariff measures....

Packaging Information Centre opens at the Instituto de Promoção de Exportação (IPEX), Mozambique

09/01/2013 01:41:10 AM

With Mozambique SMEs increasingly participating in international trade, smaller companies with export potential are looking for relevant, simple to understand, up-to-date and practical information on export packaging.The Packaging Information Center...

WEDF hailed as informative and engaging

08/01/2013 04:39:11 AM

More than 900 delegates from 60 countries participated at the World Export Development Forum 2012 (WEDF) held in October in Jakarta, Indonesia. And the feedback from the participants is unison: WEDF is relevant, informative and engaging.A survey carried...

Reducing carbon emissions in the UN system: voluntary or mandatory measures?

04/01/2013 03:03:43 AM

Scientists agree that that climate change is 'unequivocal' and induced by man’s activity. The UN's Environment Programme reported in November 2012 that greenhouse gases are 14% above where they need to be in 2020 for temperature rises to remain below...

ITC’s Trade Map country data reaches record high

28/12/2012 09:53:23 AM

Up-to-date trade data for more than 110 countries is now available on ITC’s Trade Map, helping businesses and trade support institutions (TSIs) to analyse international trade flows impacting their business, so that they can identify and export markets...

Netherlands Hosts Seminar, B2B Meetings for Bangladeshi IT Firms

26/12/2012 05:30:26 AM

Dauphine, a former car dealership by Amstelstation and now a hip hangout for the local service-industry crowd, was the venue for an NTFII Bangladesh Cloud event on 10 October focusing on the role offshore service providers can play in this new ecosystem....

Ghana: producers and industry experts co-author yam sector strategy

23/12/2012 01:06:12 PM

When SalamaTulari sat at her roadside shed in Tamale peddling yams and wondering how she'd ever come up with the money to expand her business, she never imagined her voice would help determine the future of Ghana's strategy to develop its yam industry.But...

Private sector and government cooperation key to maximising benefits from Liberia’s WTO accession

20/12/2012 09:32:04 AM

That was the message at a meeting earlier this month where representatives from private sector associations and government ministries and agencies met to discuss Liberia’s bid for WTO membership. At the three day event, attended by over 50 participants,...

Boosting intra-African trade and regional value chains

18/12/2012 11:28:47 AM

Helping local enterprises build capacity so they can expand their market knowledge, export readiness and business linkages, as well as creating a favourable business environment, are key elements to the further development of intra-African trade and...

NTF II representatives share insights at WEDF 2012

17/12/2012 09:13:22 AM

Three representatives from NTF II projects in Bangladesh, Senegal and South Africa participated at this year’s World Export Development Forum (WEDF) in Jakarta, adding their own insights and contributions to this unique global forum dedicated to supporting...

Mango packaging focus of two-day workshop for Senegalese producers, exporters

17/12/2012 07:36:20 AM

Senegalese mango producers and exporters learnt about European Union packaging standards during a recent two-day workshop in Dakar, hosted by the International Trade Centre (ITC). The training was based on diagnostic study held in June, and looked at...

ITC newsletter - Dec 2012

17/12/2012 03:15:56 AM

ITC News December 2012 Welcome to the first edition of the International Trade Centre's e-newsletter, which will bring you monthly updates highlighting key ITC news, reports, analysis and events. You can always read a copy of the newsletter on the web. Study raises concern over international trade in python skins A new ITC study finds that close to half a million python skins are reported as exported annually from South-East Asia. The main importer is the European fashion and leather industry. The study raises concerns over the illegality in parts of the trade, animal welfare issues and the trade's impact on the conservation of python populations. read more > Louvre Boutique to carry Jordanian jewellery, supporting handcraft exports and creating jobs Handicrafts from Jordanian manufacturers are now on the shelves of boutiques in the Louvre Museum in Paris following support from ITC’s Enhancing Arab Capacity for Trade programme. read more > ITC recognized for supporting Tajikistan in WTO accession preparations Tajikistan needs to develop a stronger financial system to increase the competitiveness of its exporters, agreed experts at a meeting last month organized by ITC in Dushanbe as part of Tajikistan’s accession process to the World Trade Organization (WTO). read more > ITC and WIPO join forces with Tanzania to brand Zanzibar cloves ITC signs a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Republic of Tanzania and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to develop an intellectual property and branding strategy for Zanzibar clove. read more > Germany provides €2 million funding for ITC in 2013 Its contribution to ITC’s 2013 budget confirms Germany as a top donor to the organization. Mr Thomas Fitschen, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, on 4 December presented ITC with €2 million (US$ 2.6m), the country’s contribution to the organization’s 2013 budget. read more > Bangladesh readies itself for global business Anders Aeroe, Director of ITC’s Division of Market Development, holds keynote speech at ’Positioning Bangladesh: Branding for Business’. read more > ITC’s website goes mobile ITC has launched a mobile version of its website, intracen.org, optimized for a wide range of smart phones used by its global audience. The launch comes in response to changing consumer behaviour, which has seen the proportion of mobile web access double over the last year to reach close to a quarter of worldwide internet traffic. read more > International Trade Forum – Issue 03 2012 Improving the business environment for trade: Tackling non-tariff measures • The League of the Arab States: A regional perspective • Non-tariff obstacles to trade: The business perspective • De-fragmenting Africa: Regional trade integration in goods and services • Statistics of distortion: Trade policy intervention during the crisis • Q&A – Exploring new horizons: Moroccan SME trades up For more information: ITC homepage | Follow us on Twitter Contact us at: itcnews(AT)intracen.org

Boosting organizational skills in trade information

13/12/2012 10:06:42 AM

Managers and officers from business information services in trade promotion organisations, chambers of commerce, business associations and other export-related organisations were at the centre at the International Trade Centre’s Geneva headquarters on...

Bangladesh readies itself for global business

11/12/2012 11:52:17 AM

‘Bangladesh has positioned itself as a prime location through enhancing its capability and skill availability, lower costs of operations, and by making targeted investments into telecom and IT infrastructure.’ That was one of the key messages delivered...

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the python skin trade

09/12/2012 10:57:10 AM

Last week ITC in partnership with TRAFFIC and IUCN released a report on the trade in python skins. Many newspapers around the world including the BBC covered the story. The report also hit social media, with hundreds of blogs and twitter feeds written...

ITC’s website goes mobile

07/12/2012 07:22:09 AM

The International Trade Centre (ITC) has launched a mobile version of its website, intracen.org, optimized for a wide range of smart phones used by its global audience. The launch comes in response to changing consumer behaviour, which has seen the proportion...

Germany provides €2 million funding for ITC in 2013

07/12/2012 06:47:33 AM

Mr Thomas Fitschen, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, on Tuesday 4 December presented the International Trade Centre (ITC) with €2 million (US$ 2.6m), the...

Enhancing the export competitiveness of Pakistan’s livestock and dairy sectors

06/12/2012 11:19:18 AM

Poor public and private sector collaboration is restricting the export potential of Pakistan’s livestock and dairy sector, in spite of the fact that the country is the fourth largest milk producer in the world. At a public private dialogue event in Lahore...

ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative steps on to the global fashion catwalk in Rome

06/12/2012 10:31:17 AM

Simone Cipriani, Head of the International Trade Centre’s (ITC) Ethical Fashion Initiative took centre-stage at the recent conference ‘The Promise of Africa’, which is the flagship luxury conference of the International Herald Tribune (IHT). The annual...

Paraguay’s ambassador on visit to ITC

05/12/2012 02:57:46 AM

Senior members of the International Trade Centre’s management team lead by Executive Director Ms Patricia Francis on Monday (3 December) received HE Mr Juan Esteban Aguirre, Paraguay’s Ambassador to the United Nations and other international organizations...

Building export capacities in Mozambique

05/12/2012 02:40:24 AM

A programme run by the International Trade Centre (ITC) is seeking to help small and medium-sized enterprises in Mozambique adopt a more structured and market-driven approach to export packaging, which it is hoped will generate more private sector investment....

Fair Trade USA now on Standards Map

03/12/2012 08:11:57 AM

The Standards Map team has announced today the inclusion of Fair Trade USA into its Standards Map platform. As a third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in North America, Fair Trade USA’s mission is to enable sustainable development and community...

Lao PDR: accession commitments discussed ahead of WTO accession

30/11/2012 10:34:15 AM

That was the message at a stakeholder conference on WTO accession in Vientiane, Lao PDR, on November 27th, where private sector representatives, academia, society players and government officials discussed Lao PDR’s WTO accession commitments and...

ITC assists Nigeria on trade-policy reform

28/11/2012 10:20:37 AM

Responding to a request from the Government of Nigeria, the International Trade Centre (ITC) recently hosted a high-level roundtable, including a peer review, to help stake the way ahead for Nigeria’s new trade policy. Currently being prepared, the updated...

Study raises concern over international trade in python skins

28/11/2012 08:11:30 AM

A new study finds that close to half a million python skins are reported as exported annually from South-East Asia. The main importer is the European fashion and leather industry. The study raises concerns over the illegality in parts of the trade, animal...

The Future of Aid for Trade – a dialogue

27/11/2012 05:42:33 AM

"The Future of Aid for Trade" was the subject of a dialogue hosted last week by the WTO and organized by ICTSD and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finland. Here are some of the key findings from presentations over the 1.5 day proceedings.There was general...

Study raises concern over international trade in python skins

27/11/2012 03:25:36 AM

Trade in Southeast Asian Python Skins shows that problems of illegality persist in $1bn python-skin trade...

Lesotho’s trade minister visits ITC

26/11/2012 07:26:57 AM

The International Trade Centre (ITC) on Tuesday 20 November received a delegation from the Kingdom of Lesotho to its Geneva headquarters to discuss with representatives of ITC’s senior management past and future cooperation to improve the country’s export...