Facilitating an enabling environment 

Making the business environment friendlier to women-owned business enterprises (WBEs) and strengthening institutions that support WBEs has been an important part of ITC’s work to enable them to take advantage of export opportunities. In 2011, ITC worked closely with the EIF Secretariat to ensure Aid for Trade work in LDCs funded through the EIF specifically considers the impact on women. LDCs are now able to produce action plans for the DTIS that address the needs of women. Gender was also mainstreamed into the WTO draft workplan on Aid for Trade in Rwanda and in three project proposals prepared by LDCs for EIF Tier II funding. Four NTM gender reports were completed for Sri Lanka, Rwanda, Morocco and Malawi. This information on the obstacles in the business environment that specifically influence WBEs will enable policymakers in these countries to implement a roadmap to ease the cost of international trade for women. NTM gender reports for Kenya, Peru and Burkina Faso are under development.

Many of the informal cross-border traders actively transporting goods between the border regions in Eastern and Southern Africa are women. Because of the informal nature of their business, risks are high. In 2011, ITC launched a programme funded by Window I of the ITF to facilitate cross-border trading between Uganda and Rwanda and help informal traders convert to formal SME status. A network of trade facilitation practitioners on both sides of the border created a simpler, speedier, transparent and more predictable trading environment for women cross-border traders, enabling these entrepreneurs to better exploit export opportunities. The success of this programme has encouraged the development of a larger initiative incorporating women traders in the EAC and South Sudan.

Building institutions 

Enhancing the participation of women in export is a key component of PACT II, which strengthens regional institutions for trade development in Africa. Through the ACCESS! for African Businesswomen in International Trade programme, local and regional institutions tailor their service portfolio to meet the needs of WBEs. ACCESS! focal point institutions have been established with ITC support in Uganda, Ethiopia and Ghana. In 2011, these institutions provided numerous services to women entrepreneurs in their respective countries, including assessments of the potential for export competitiveness of WBEs, training in export strategy and business counselling services. By strengthening these institutions, ITC enables local solutions to serve the needs of WBEs and assist them in improving their export competitiveness. As an example of the success of this model, the Ethiopian ACCESS! focal point institution is replicating and extending the business counselling component of the programme using its own resources.

A sector approach 

ITC has identified a number of key export sectors in which women can derive greater economic benefit from their participation in export-oriented value chains. Through the Women and Trade Programme, funded by the UK and Window I donors, ITC supports women in coffee in East Africa, alpaca in Peru and silver jewellery in Mexico. ITC works with partners to identify the key threats and opportunities for women in these sectors and implement initiatives to take advantage of market opportunities while addressing the constraints they face. Market demand is necessary in order to achieve positive outcomes in export development. In 2011, the Women in Coffee project enabled pilot sales of branded “women-coffee” in Walmart and discussions are at an advanced stage with Accenture and Marriott Hotels for the product. After intensive training, 35 Mexican business women have improved their skills in business management and have a greater understanding of United States market requirements for the silver jewellery industry and the demands of United States buyers. Fifteen WBEs met with buyers at two targeted trade fairs. Peruvian women in the alpaca industry have adapted their product design to match United States preferences and market requirements following consultations with industry experts and in-depth training. See the related case study earlier in this section.

Supporting sustainable local institutions is a cornerstone of ITC’s approach to sector development. Women in the coffee sectors of Burundi, Kenya and Rwanda established national chapters of the IWCA to institutionalize the empowerment of women in the sector in their respective countries. Women in other coffee producing countries, including Viet Nam, Brazil and India, have been so inspired that they too will establish national IWCA chapters in 2012. Women in the sector now also have better information on accessing finance through the ITC technical paper: Microfinance in East Africa — Schemes for Women in the Coffee Sector.

Integrating products from poor communities into tourism value chains has been identified as a priority for a number of LDCs. ITC has contributed to the One UN programme in Mozambique, improving livelihoods of poor communities through strengthening tourism-related cultural and creative industries. The multi-agency programme, funded by Spain’s MDG fund, ended in 2011 and made a significant contribution to community-based cultural tourism in the Maputo, Inhambane and Nampula provinces of Mozambique. Local musicians and craftspeople are now in a better position to understand commercial contracts for their work after dedicated contract guides were developed for their respective sectors. Public- and private-sector stakeholders in tourism have collaborated in the development of cultural tourism itineraries. Poor communities in Inhambane and Nampula have been enabled to develop and manage cultural tourism tours, four of which were developed and are now operational. In parallel, the government developed a dedicated promotion plan for cultural tourism and to assist the communities to market the tours. Mozambican SMEs and TSIs are now better positioned to market local cultural and creative industry products for export following intensive capacity building in the area of design and marketing for international markets. In 2011, ITC worked on the project design of tourism-led valuechain projects for the United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda and in the Pacific region. The organization also started work on a Swiss-funded project in Lao PDR linking the agriculture and handicraft sectors to sustainable tourism.

In Viet Nam, ITC is the coordinating agency for a programme funded by the Spanish MDG fund, under the One UN umbrella, contributing to sustainable green value chains linking poor communities to more profitable markets in handicrafts and small furniture. After a focus on understanding the value chain in 2010, 2011 saw a shift to marketing and trade promotion. Participating companies and TSIs have an improved understanding of the export requirements for the United States market and opportunities associated with Fair Trade certification.

For ITC’s Ethical Fashion Initiative, funded by Window I of the ITF, 2011 was an important year with the consolidation of the local support system and infrastructure in East Africa and implementation of a plan to ensure the sustainability of the project. Work has begun to establish Ethical Fashion West Africa. The Ghana-based initiative will be funded by Switzerland and will be operational from 2012. ITC is also assessing the feasibility of an Ethical Fashion Initiative in Haiti. More information about this programme can be found in the case study in this section.

Niche sector development 

ITC is working with the Zambian Development Agency to develop the organic agriculture sector in Zambia. Following intensive training in 2011, 17 companies linked to 15,000 farmers and nine TSIs are better positioned to implement organic production, processing and marketing, organic honey and internal control systems. A local TSI, Kasisi Agricultural Training Centre, has deepened its services to SME clients as it has been enabled to build capacity in organics. Tailor-made support has been provided to two Zambian companies, improving their potential for organic certification.

Biodiversity trade is the focus of the niche sector development programme in Peru, in partnership with PROMPERU and GIZ, a German development agency for international cooperation, and designed according to the needs expressed by SMEs and TSIs in the biotrade field. More than 80 Peruvian exporters of natural products and researchers in biodiversity are now better informed about United States market trends and requirements for the exports of natural products following dedicated workshops organized by PROMPERU and the Peruvian Biotrade Platform. Four guides related to exporting natural products to the United States have been produced for the Peruvian market. The LatinPharma initiative held at the end of 2011 also contributed significantly to promoting biodiversity trade in Latin America by linking producers of natural products to the region’s pharmaceutical industry. Initial results indicate sales exceeding US$ 3 million. This is likely to expand significantly following the event. See the alpaca-sector case study earlier in this section.

ITC works with partners to assist exporters in developing countries to meet carbon standards, with a particular focus on helping Kenyan exporters to reduce emissions from the horticultural sector. In 2011, ITC finalized its Sustainability Market Assessment on Cotton and Climate Change. Professionals of the horticulture sector in ACP countries are now better informed about market requirements for ACP producers and on carbon and water standards following workshops held in Kenya in conjunction with COLEACP, the interprofessional network promoting sustainable horticultural trade in ACP countries.

Bio-global public goods 

A common obstacle for companies that want to take advantage of niche market opportunities associated with sustainability and biodiversity is lack of access to information on standards, requirements and market trends in these areas. In 2011, ITC made new bio-related intelligence available to SMEs and TSIs in developing countries by publishing the Standards Map database on 70 private standards covering more than 60 product groups in over 180 countries worldwide. This T4SD project is possible thanks to contributions to Window I of the ITF as well as contributions from Switzerland and the EU. Training to optimize the use of the tool was provided to about 500 participants through workshops and webinars.

In addition, ITC published the Sustainability Market Assessment on the Trends in the Trade of Certified Coffees; is producing a study on trade in python skins in collaboration with CITES, which is being used by government authorities and NGOs to improve sustainable sourcing practices; and updated a global, internet-based information system for organic market and production data, in partnership with the Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture.

Walking the talk at ITC 

ITC is equally committed to inclusiveness and sustainability in the way it conducts its own business. In 2011, ITC’s senior management team adopted a Gender Mainstreaming Policy and action plan, which were developed through an open, consultative process. A Gender Working Group, with representatives from across the organization, was established and gender mainstreaming has been incorporated in the design phase of a number of ITC projects.

In line with the United Nations commitment to “greening the blue,” ITC approved an Emissions Reduction Strategy in 2011, setting the stage for enhanced cost- and carbon-saving procedures. Environmental screening was integrated into project design guidelines and templates to ensure environmental risks and opportunities are considered, and a Staff Green Guide was rolled out to encourage employees to make informed, environmentally conscious decisions.