What did ITC achieve at COP29?

‘At COP29, we saw space made at the table for small businesses,’ said ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton. ‘There’s now recognition of the key role small businesses have to play in the global green transition – not only in adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change but in bringing their perspectives to help shape national climate plans and how they can be rolled out and financed.’

What did we achieve? These are some of the highlights.

• ITC worked closely with the UN Climate Change Champion, Nigar Arpadarai, to advocate for more inclusion of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the climate talks. That resulted in the first-ever open recognition at this level, which opens the space for more work and advances in the agenda.
• ITC joined in negotiations on Just Transition. Our participation carved a space for the final declaration to include the importance of millions of small businesses around the world, that provide 70% of global jobs.
• ITC published a preliminary set of guidelines on how countries can consider the impact of small businesses in national plans for a green transition. In March 2025, countries have to submit their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which set out how they will achieve their climate change targets.
• ITC signed the first-ever SME Declaration with two small business agencies, KOBiA in Azerbaijan and SEBRAE in Brazil. The declaration paves the way for engaging with small businesses to advance the green transition on the road to next year’s climate talks in Brazil. This is a first step to setting up a network of business support organizations that can become an effective force.
• ITC launched a new report called Renewable Energy: How trade policy supports deployment and value addition in developing countries, to explain how trade measures can accelerate renewable energies such as wind and solar. The global climate talks are already moving in the direction of seeking ways to end the use of fossil fuels.
• And the power of engagements in person. COP29 brought to Azerbaijan’s capital Baku tens of thousands of delegates, which creates many conversations, commitments, and plans for the future. ITC left the conference with promising scenarios for next year.

Voices at the table

ITC included in its delegation five entrepreneurs from Brazil, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Tajikistan. They took to the floor on numerous engagements with countries, climate groups and some high-level meetings, transmitting the reality form the ground.

COP29 is a mostly environment-led conference, but the presence of small entrepreneurs served this year to highlight the role trade can play in the transition to sustainable growth.

‘But also mitigation efforts are very important to consider when we think of the impact of global warming on small businesses,’ says Qassim Siddique, entrepreneur of Natural Fiber, a company that makes crafts out of banana waste, who was part of the ITC delegation.

‘Small businesses are disproportionately affected by the impact of climate change as they have less capacity to respond to the impacts of climate change. This is why it’s so important to include them to ensure there is a just transition,’ says Vanessa Erogbogbo, ITC chief of Green and Inclusive Value chains.

There were powerful moments during COP29 for ITC’s delegation of entrepreneurs with their words or presence at key engagements. One of the objectives of this year’s mission was to emphasize the importance of small businesses when the climate talks are referring to the private sector.

‘My expectation coming to COP was to be able to tell my story and get support, so I can go back to my country to educate other women in my community,’ says Florence Jakuae, a bilum weaver from Papua New Guinea. She trains women in her country about sustainability, and was another member of ITC’s presence.