Communiqués de presse

Sixteen finalists selected for TPO Network Awards 2014 (en)

30 octobre 2014
ITC Nouvelles

(Geneva/Dubai) – Sixteen finalists have been selected for the Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) Network Awards 2014. They represent national TPOs from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea, Lithuania, Mauritius, the Philippines, Spain, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zambia.

Award winners in the following categories will be announced during the TPO Network World Conference in Dubai on 4 November: least developed countries, small island developing states, developing countries and developed countries. To recognize and share more TPO good practices, the Adjudicating Panel may award second and third-place winners from the shortlist.

The TPO Network Awards are open to all national TPOs in recognition of excellence in trade support services. The Network Awards celebrate TPOs that have demonstrated outstanding performance in the use of innovative and effective practices and procedures in export development initiatives. The TPOs’ efforts are in response to the urgent need of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to become sustainable and competitive international players.

The Adjudicating Panel is chaired by Executive Director of the International Trade Centre (ITC) Arancha González and includes senior representatives from the TPO Network Awards 2012 winners.

‘SMEs have the potential to drive trade-led growth, development and employment. The role of TPOs is to unlock this potential by boosting SMEs’ capacity to export,’ said Ms. González. ‘Of all the applicants, these TPOs have made a difference in their home countries by supporting SMEs to internationalize. They have set excellent examples for others to follow.’

The TPO Network World Conference is a biennial event, first launched in 1996 in Cartagena, Colombia. This conference will bring together more than 300 representatives from TPOs and other trade development professionals from across the world.

Note to Editor: ITC is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. ITC assists small and medium-sized enterprises in developing and transition economies to become more competitive in global markets, thereby contributing to sustainable economic development within the frameworks of the Aid for Trade agenda and the Millennium Development Goals.

For more information on the TPO Network World Conference and Awards: www.tponetwork.net.