Governments worldwide spend US$ 11 trillion a year on procurement, yet only an estimated 1% of procurement contracts are won by women.1 Increasing that 1% by linking more women-owned businesses into global value chains was the goal of two events held under the auspices of the Global Platform for Sourcing from Women Vendors in Mexico City on 5 to 7 November 2012.

Sellers and buyers attending the Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum in Mexico City strike more than 60 deals, totalling more than US$6 million

ITC Executive Director launches events in Mexico City aiming to increase sourcing from women vendors.Ms. Patricia R. Francis, Executive Director of ITC, today presided over the opening in Mexico City of the annual events of the Global Platform for Action on Sourcing from Women: the 4th Senior Executive Roundtable on Sourcing from Women Vendors and the Women Vendors Forum and Exhibition 2012...

A delegation from Republic of Liberia on 17 July visited ITC for discussions on ongoing trade-support programmes and the possibility of ITC support in its WTO accession negotiations. The Liberian delegation was led by Deputy Minister for Commerce and...

United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton highlights ITC’s global work in increasing governments’ procurement from women-owned businesses.

As countries concentrate their efforts on meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, a hot topic is the development framework that will succeed the MDGs. United Nations Member States seeking to shape the post-2015 agenda are considering...

ITC helps organize training for Mexican women jewellers to improve design and jewellery making in bid to boost exports.

New opportunities for women, business and sustainable development can be achieved by promoting supplier diversity and inclusion as a key component of sustainable procurement...

“As women business owners, we need two things,” said Erka Tsevegrash, President and CEO of the Gandirs Group construction firm in Mongolia. “First, we need to meet buyers. But that’s not enough because, second, we need to understand their purchasing...

The League of Arab States (LAS) region could increase trade among its member states by 10% and create two million new jobs by removing obstacles to intra-regional trade, according to new research by ITC...

Many small and developing countries have a rich cultural heritage and a living tradition of craftsmanship that their populations can draw on when creating artisanal products that will appeal to buyers abroad. Growing commercialization of the arts has...

Patricia Francis, ITC's Executive Director, joined Ambassador Betty E. King, the Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, Ms. Ruth Y. Goldway, Chairman of the United States Postal Regulatory Commission and Ms. Violette Ruppanner, President of the Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT), at the US Mission in Geneva to debate how to optimise the effects of leveraging the power of women's networks...

The Centre for African Women Economic Empowerment in Ethiopia (CAWEE), one of ITC's ACCESS! Focal Point institutions, recently developed a website to help bolster its efforts to promote female exporters in the country and in the African continent at large...

The World Trade Organization (WTO) ended its ministerial meeting on Saturday 17 December without taking clear decisions on how to revive multilateral talks, focusing instead on welcoming Russia, Samoa and Montenegro as new members and securing a government-procurement...

ITC is bringing together high-level experts from around the world to lay the groundwork for building the capacity for women business owners to win at least five percent of contract bids from government agencies. The meeting, the Inaugural Roundtable on Government Procurement on Sourcing from Women Vendors, is being held in cooperation with WTO on 17 December 2011 in Geneva...

It has taken several centuries for laws to change in ways that support women’s equal right to lead countries and corporations – to the benefit of the global economy.

Women-owned businesses from around the world have made connections and formed relationships with multinational companies at the International Trade Centre (ITC)’s Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum in Chongqing, China.More than 250 women entrepreneurs...

Womenexporters.com is a new ITC website offering trade information and regional networking opportunities to businesswomen in Africa under ITC’s Programme for building African Capacity for Trade (PACT II). The site, launched as part of the ACCESS! programme for African Businesswomen in International Trade earlier this month, also serves as a platform for importers who seek to source from women entrepreneurs and reliable suppliers in the continent...

Three potential tourism-related projects which were discussed at a preparatory workshop in Nairobi are being taken to ITC’s World Export Development Forum (WEDF) in Istanbul for further development. Public and private sector experts worked alongside ITC representatives in early April to develop the first outline of the potential pilot projects... 

The International Trade Centre (ITC) is showcasing the success of women in the coffee industry as part of the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day.  The event on 8 March 2011 is hosted by WTO and ITC at the WTO....

The United Kingdom and the International Trade Centre (ITC) have launched a new three year partnership to implement their common strategy on Aid for Trade, with a special focus on providing business development support to women traders in developing countries...