Fair trade ITC (en)
Twelve deals signed during opening ceremony of Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum
- More than 350 delegates are attending the event, which seeks to link up women vendors with buyers. Of the 48 countries represented, 39 are developing countries of least developed countries. There are 147 sellers, 45 buyers and 17 trade support institutions attending the event. The Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum will conclude tomorrow.
- Opening the event, Ms. Patricia Francis, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre said: “Those numbers suggest to me that the prospects for doing business are promising. The Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum is part of a ten-year strategy, which aims toincrease the share of corporate, government and institutional procurement: won by women, for the benefit of women, for their families and for their communities.”
US-based Full Circle Exchange signed fourdeals this morning covering the textile and jewellery sectors. Meanwhile, Been There Coffee Company, which is based in South Africa, and BD Imports signed two deals each to buy green coffee.
Mr. Nathán Wolf, Director-General for Cooperation and International Economic Promotion at Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the Government of Mexico “recognizes that investing in women entrepreneurs has important benefits for the building of stronger, more stable and more sustainable communities”.
“The Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum 2012 is a huge opportunity to continue working together in the consolidation and internationalization of small- and medium-sized women entrepreneurs, by incorporating them in the supply chains of global firms,” he said.
Carlos Casas, Head of Export Promotion at ProMexico, said: “The matchmaking sessions will allow delegates to explore opportunities between buyers and sellers…and I am sure these will be seeds that will grow into good and profitable relations.”