ITC’s Annual Report 2019 offers a comprehensive review of the organization’s activities and detailed information on the results and effectiveness of our work during 2019.
ITC’s targeted interventions in 2019 remained effective in setting the conditions for ‘good trade’ to occur. Whether it was in Afghanistan, working actively with the government on a new National Export Strategy and opening a new standards laboratory, in Central America to empower dozens of women-led handicraft firms to trade online or in The Gambia where we facilitated a new network of angel investors to identify and invest in innovative start-ups.
The story of these interventions and many others are described in the report. In addition to recapping ITC’s work under six focus areas, this year’s report again contains a section highlighting the work of the ITC Innovation Lab as well as spotlighting different innovations the ITC family has made in 2019. As ITC worked closely with the African Union Commission in supporting the African Continental Free Trade Area, the report also contains a specific section showcasing work in this area. There are also overviews of ITC’s governance, finances, human resources, communications and other corporate matters, as well as detailed appendices on programmes, projects, funding and more.
While the report showcases ITC’s work in 2019, before the COVID-19 crisis hit, a broader thematic analysis reveals that the organization’s approach has shown resilience in the face of this new threat. The report underscores ITC’s unflagging commitment to helping micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in developing countries to scale up and internationalize, and to working at all levels – with intergovernmental organizations, governments, policymakers, business support institutions, and not least MSMEs themselves – to achieve the best possible results. It also highlights how ITC works with specific groups – women, young people, and poor communities – to honour the inclusive aims of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.