Nepal
Global: Climate competitiveness: Building opportunities in the green economy for emerging and developing countries
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Trade and trade policy play a key role in the green transition needed to tackle climate change, the world’s biggest threat to human development and ecological survival. The Climate Competitiveness project aims to support developing countries’ engagement in the World Trade Organization (WTO) Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE).
The CTE contributes to identifying and understanding the relationship between trade and the environment in order to promote sustainable development.
This project is working with the following countries - Kenya, Mauritius, Senegal, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Viet Nam, Nepal and the Philippines.
Furthermore, it will support small businesses to build climate resilience as well as facilitate the preparation of submissions by the countries.
Preparing for EUDR in the Philippines
17 January 2025
ITC and the Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines (DTI) held practical workshops around the country on how to comply with the upcoming EU Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR).
Workshops on cacao were held in Manila and Davao City, with a session on rubber in Zamboanga City. The sessions brought together business leaders and policymakers to deepen their understanding of the upcoming regulation set to take effect later this year.
Almost 180 participants attended, including high-level, regional DTI officials and the Head of Trade for the EU Delegation to the Philippines, Philipp Dupuis.
ITC trade and environment policy advisor Michaela Summerer led the workshops, which focused on producers' obligations and requirements, supply chain scenarios and how to prepare for them, and data collection.
Discussions unpacked the practical challenges to complying with the regulation. Participants brought up issues such as producing documentation for EU operators, providing accurate geolocation information, and deployment of a traceability system.
After the workshop in Davao, the ITC team visited three farms: Sumayo Farm, Puentespina Farm of Malagos Chocolate, and Gran Verde Farm. They were joined by Dante Muyco, chairperson of the Davao Regional Cacao Industry Council. They saw how the industry implements sustainability mechanisms, as well as the adoption of innovative practices such as regenerative farming, traceability, and circular economy.
The EUDR will be applied from 30 December 2025. This is the last year for businesses to adjust to the new requirements. There is still work to be done to disseminate practical information on the regulation. The workshops held mark an important step toward this.
6 December 2024, Manila, Philippines - Participants at the EUDR Masterclass. Discussions centred on the practical challenges of complying with the regulation, such as producing documentation, providing accurate geolocation information, and deploying a traceability system.
10 December 2024, Davao City, Philippines - Participants at the EUDR Workshop for the Cocoa Sector.
12 December 2024, Zamboanga City, Philippines - Participants at the EUDR Workshop for the Rubber Sector.
6 December 2024 - Representatives of ITC, DTI-EMB Philippines and EU delegates at the EUDR masterclass.
ITC and Dominican Republic agree on building sargassum value chains
17 December 2024
ITC and Dominican representatives discuss technical cooperation.
In December 2024, ITC received a delegation of the Dominican Republic at its headquarters, led by Manuel Diaz Franjul, Director of Trade Negotiations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Together with ITC Director Escipion Joaquin Oliveira Gomez, the team discussed the challenges the country is facing due to the sargassum seaweed "invasion".
Under the EU-funded "Climate Competitiveness" project, ITC will strengthen the emerging value chain for sargassum in the Dominican Republic. Small businesses and researchers are already active in promising areas where further investment is needed, including collection of sargassum; production of goods from sargassum (construction material, fertilizers or compost); feasibility of sargassum as a source of combustible organic matter for energy generation.
In 2025, ITC looks forward to deepening engagement on sargassum value chains with the Dominican Republic and its small businesses as well as with other affected Caribbean states.
Report on renewable energy and trade released
30 October 2024
Ambassadors’ panel at the WTO Trade and Environment Week.
Addressing the climate crisis requires decarbonization of the global economy with around 75% of the world's emissions coming from the energy supply. Under the Climate Competitiveness project, ITC has prepared a report that looks at the role of trade policy in supporting the energy transition in developing countries. The main findings are that low tariffs have reduced the cost of renewable energy 🌞🍃 deployment by enabling access to affordable imports.
The analysis offers policy options for developing countries, including stronger regulatory frameworks, investment in export market knowledge, regional market expansion and capacity building in customs and standards. Trade agreements can also attract foreign investment and ease market entry of experts. The report may be accessed here.
ITC looks forward to further engage with developing countries on Aid for Trade, for example through WTO fora such as the Trade and Environment week (October 2024) to support the energy transition and job creation.
ITC and Philippines Department of Trade and Industry launch cooperation on trade and climate change
1 August 2024
Participants at a workshop on trade and climate change in Manila.
ITC and the Philippines' Department for Trade and Industry's Bureau of International Trade Relations convened a workshop in July in Manila to discuss the nexus between trade and climate change. In a project funded by the European Union, the two organizations will work together to provide evidence on how trade can support both climate mitigation and adapt to policy objectives. It will also provide capacity building to small businesses on environment related issues.
ITC and Government of Mauritius convene stakeholder meeting on trade and climate change
April 2024, Balaclava, Mauritius - ITC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs convened a workshop on trade and climate change.
1 May 2024
In April 2024, ITC and the Government of Mauritius held a workshop in Port Louis to launch the Climate Competitiveness project. The main partner is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade.
During the launch, ITC presented a paper to stakeholders in government and the private sector on trade and climate change policies to strengthen climate resilience. The workshop also identified ways to support small businesses in the green economy. The project will continue to develop policy recommendations and support to SMEs during 2024-2025.
Recipients
Sustainable Development Goals
This project contributes to the following Sustainable Development Goals, as defined by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
<p>The project aims to increase the engagement of six developing and emerging countries in the Trade and Environment Structured Sustainability Discussions (TESSD) at the World Trade Organization (WTO). The project will carry out research in partnership with countries on the role of trade in supporting climate change mitigation and adaptation objectives. It will support countries on the basis of this research and multistakeholder consultations to make submissions to TESSD in the form of best practices, lessons learnt, common regional approaches on standards etc. Furthermore, the project will help countries to understand the range of trade related climate measures facing MSMEs and the strategies to help compliance with them.</p>
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Project
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External ID
C190
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Interaction WTO- SPS and TBT
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Dhulikhel
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Cyan
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Event type
Public event
External ID
PE-LE3395
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Nepal: Economic Growth Accelerator
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Implementing partners
Sustainable Development Goals
This project contributes to the following Sustainable Development Goals, as defined by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
<p>The USAID-funded "Economic Growth Accelerator" project focuses on boosting Nepal's coffee and pashmina exports and improving the business environment for medicinal plants and IT/digital services. This 3-year project aims to increase Nepal's participation in global value chains, leading to sustainable growth and poverty reduction as the country prepares to graduate from Least Developed Country (LDC) status.</p>
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Project
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Date
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External ID
C385
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Sustainable Coffee Production Training in Baitadi
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Location info
Patan, Baitadi
Header color
Cyan
Country (for relations)
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Event type
Public event
External ID
PE-IN2492
Event (for relations)
Southeast Asia: SME Sustainability Standards Navigation Toolkit
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Implementing partners
Sustainable Development Goals
This project contributes to the following Sustainable Development Goals, as defined by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
<p><span lang="EN-GB">The surge in demand for sustainable products and the global shift toward sustainable trade and finance have resulted in a proliferation of complex sustainability standards and regulations. These standards, some voluntary and others mandatory, pose challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in understanding and adhering to them. This difficulty affects SMEs' competitiveness and diminishes their impact on productivity, employment, and growth. Failure to comply with these standards jeopardizes market access for SMEs and their supply chains. To address this, the Asian Development Bank’s Trade & Supply Chain Finance Program</span><span lang="EN-US"> (TSCFP)</span><span lang="EN-GB">, in collaboration with the International Trade Centre, aims to augment the existing self-assessment module of the ITC Standards Map by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to create an SME Standards Navigation Toolkit. This solution supports SMEs by raising awareness of sustainability standards and evaluating their readiness for certification. It offers an online self-assessment to guide them towards certification, providing tailored recommendations for sustainable practices and compliance with relevant standards, ensuring alignment with their business goals. The toolkit will help SMEs </span><span lang="EN-US">in ADB developing member countries (DCMs) </span><span lang="EN-GB">increase their awareness of sustainability and regulatory standards, with an initial focus on social and labour sustainability in the textile and apparel sector. As this initiative progresses from its pilot phase, there is a clear pathway for scaling up. Options for expansion include transitioning from a pilot to a fully funded project by ADB.</span></p>
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Project
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External ID
C386
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Trade Centre of Expertise: UK Trade Partnerships Programme
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Recipients
Implementing partners
<p>The United Kingdom Trade Partnerships (UKTP) Programme aims to increase trade from developing countries to the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) by maximizing the benefits of UK and EU Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and the UK's Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS). The UKTP Programme works in partnership with government agencies, private sector organisations, public sector institutions, small and medium-sized enterprises and other local stakeholders. </p><p>The UKTP Programme is funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland under the UK's Trade Centre of Expertise. EPA and DCTS countries participating in the UKTP Programme will have access to high quality trade-related technical assistance through sector initiatives. Target beneficiaries will be export-ready SMEs that are committed to securing new trade opportunities with the UK. This project will aim to promote exports through facilitating access to markets, providing advisory services to SMEs to improve their products and business operations, and strengthening business support organizations. </p><p>This project builds upon the lessons learnt and achievements of the UKTP programme since 2019. Previous engagement with SMEs in multiple EPA countries has shown the benefit of selecting export-ready companies with compelling products for UK customers and consumers to participate and of preparing them specifically with UK market entry services to succeed in the UK market. </p><p>This project complements and works in synergy with UKTP in the Pacific. </p>
Type
Project
Open data portal link
Funding partners
Date
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External ID
C293
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