Exporters from developing countries are increasingly feeling the pressure to conform to international standards if they are to enter successfully developed country markets.

In East Africa, an ITC Ethical Fashion project is demonstrating that international quality and standards can be met, even in the most remote and impoverished communities.

Many developing countries are ill equipped to take advantage of the opportunities provided by trade. Weak infrastructure, lack of capacity and the inability to meet technical product specifications and stringent requirements in terms of quality, safety, health and the environment impede their integration into global markets.

As global supply chains continue to grow, the international accreditation network, underpinned by internationally agreed standards, plays an essential role in the support of competitive markets and cross-border trade. This is increasingly important as businesses seek to lower costs or satisfy contract terms while maintaining a level of confidence that products are technically compatible, to specification and safe.

With biofuels becoming more prominent on the global market, production is being expanded in Brazil, Asia and Africa. This expansion has environmental groups concerned that sugar cane's environmental impact  outweighs the economic and social benefits.

International trade in electrical and electronic products is becoming increasingly competitive. As technologies evolve rapidly, safety, reliability and performance must keep pace. This is equally true for companies in industrialized and industrializing countries.

Pre-packaged commodities are estimated to account for more than 75% of the total value of traded commodities worldwide. However, exports of many pre-packaged consumer products from developing countries are often hampered by lengthy border control procedures or even rejected, due to non-conformity to indicated quantity of product.1

Quality is a prerequisite for successful market access and increasing revenues from export, but meeting technical requirements in the international marketplace is a challenge for many exporters.

Resources on Quality and StandardsUnderstanding the increasing complexity of technical requirements in export markets is a prerequisite for successful trade. ITC's guidebooks and publications seek to support exporters in their work by providing them with easy-to-understand, relevant information on standards, WTO agreements and technical requirements.