ITC launches export-strategy database
The International Trade Centre (ITC) on 8 May launched the Export Strategy Map (ESM) on its website, making available for the first time a one-stop database that allows exporters, trade institutions and the public to find documents aimed at promoting international trade and mainstreaming trade policies in national development.
The ESM is an exhaustive inventory of documents about development and trade strategies that have been implemented over the last decade or are currently being implemented in ITC priority countries. The database comprises about 700 strategies from 155 countries, including the totality of Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean countries, as well as the majority of Asian and Pacific countries and several European ones. The documents are searchable by country, sector or document type.
A coffee exporter in Uganda, for example, can find information about export strategies by searching under the ‘Coffee’ sector or clicking on ‘Uganda’ under the ‘Country’ tab. A jewellery designer in Mexico can search for strategy documents by searching under ‘Ethical Fashion’ or ‘Mexico’.
Strategic planning
Documents in the ESM feature one or more strategic planning component, such as a timeframe for implementation, an action plan, the identification of implementing bodies, a prioritization of goals or a policy roadmap. The database is designed to help clients and donors identify differences among documents and among the methodologies and assumptions they are based on. It will allow beneficiary countries to make more visible their policy efforts and guide them in the choice of the best instruments available. It can also serve as a research tool for international institutions and scholars.
The inventory is composed mostly of documents about national strategies, such as national development plans, national agendas and trade policies. All national and sector export strategies facilitated by ITC are also included, as well as all Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), Diagnostic Trade Integration Studies (DTISs) and United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks (UNDAFs).
Most of the documents have been obtained from official websites. These include websites of national governments and their relevant ministries, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and development agencies.
While the Export Strategy Database facilitates the comparison of the different export strategies, it is in principle not intended for benchmarking or ranking purposes.
Access the Export Strategy Map here.