International Trade Forum articles from April 2001

International Trade Forum archives from April 2001

From the Editor.
April 1, 2001... This issue focuses on trade and the environment. The aim is to encourage you, our readers, to think about becoming environmentally sensitive in your international business development practices. We provide practical information on trade and...

ITC: Year in Review. (ITC Speaks).
April 1, 2001... ITC supports developing and transition economies in their efforts to compete effectively in the international marketplace. We strongly believe that this contributes to sustainable development and we are committed to providing first-class...

The Environmental Services Business. (Market Profile).
April 1, 2001... Big and Growing: Though hardly known to the general public, environmental technologies, products and services have, in 20 years grown to match the aerospace and pharmaceutical industries in size -- a US$ 450 billion global market in 2000. By...

Software for Environmental Engineers. (Market Profile).
April 1, 2001... The overall environmental software market was estimated at about US$ 1.8 billion in 1995, of which US$ 1.14 billion for consulting and services. So what IT tools does a consulting engineer in a developing country need to compete in the market...

Environmental Competitiveness: "Green" Purchasing. (Exporting Better).
April 1, 2001... Consider environmental issues in procurement to reduce total costs and make out enterprise more competitive. Environmental procurement means systematically building environmental considerations into your day-to-day procurement...

Making Your Packaging Environmentally Friendly. (Close Up).
April 1, 2001... Historically, packaging was mainly used to transport goods, particularly foodstuffs, from their place of manufacture direct to the customer. Packaging later became prominent in the preserving of food products for longer periods. The packaging...

Packaging: Towards a Sustainable Future. (Close Up).
April 1, 2001... Packaging is a vital sector of most national economies. It consumes large quantities of resources. Because of packaging's often limited life span, these resources (of materials and energy) are viewed in some quarters as being wasted. As a...

Information Resources: Trade and the Environment. (Close Up).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... WTO agreements The World Trade Organization (WTO) has no specific agreement dealing with the environment. However, a number of the WTO agreements include provisions dealing with environmental concerns. The increased emphasis on...

Greening Your Business: ITC's business development service linking-trade and the environment. (International Trade Centre).
April 1, 2001... Environmentally sensitive export development strategies ITC encourages capacity building in national environmental industries. It also takes into account the role of standards bodies, environmental protection organizations and similar...

Environmental Trade Barriers: Who Wins, Who Loses, What's the Score? (Close up).
April 1, 2001... Environment and trade is a challenging issue that the World Trade Organization (WTO) has to tackle. The scarcity of statistically well-grounded information makes the task even more complex. Using market analysis tool developed by ITC with data...

Faster-growing Trees, Value-added Products. (Close up).
April 1, 2001... Value-added wood exports have a bright future. The value of further-processed wood exports from producer countries of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) totalled just under US$ 4.2 billion in 1996-1997, the highest points...

Certification: Helping Markets Support the World's Forests. (Close Up).
April 1, 2001... Voluntary forest management certification and associated wood labelling schemes are becoming accepted as a way to help markets contribute to the conservation of tropical and other types of forests. Originally proposed by environmental...

Are TPOs Still Needed? (Partners News and Views).(trade promotion organizations)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Nearly 900 participants from 108 countries enthusiastically debated this question during a recent ITC electronic discussion forum (23-27 April 2001). All summaries of the discussion were e-mailed to participants in their target languages and...

ITC's Annual Meeting Features-Solutions to Bridge-the Digital Divide. (ITC News).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... ITC officially launched its "E-trade Bridge" programme at its annual intergovernmental meeting, the Joint Advisory Group (Geneva, 30 April to 4 May 2001). The meeting also launched its "new" web site, which was redesigned to better serve ITC's...

ITC Sponsors Pavilion at European Week of Information Technologies. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... For the second time, ITC promoted IT exporters in developing countries and economies in transition at the European Week of Information Technologies (SETI 2001, Paris, March 2001). The fair attracted over 140,000 professional visitors and more...

A New Generation of LDC Exporters Emerges.(least-developed countries)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... How can successful exporters in least-developed countries (LDCs) convert export opportunities into business? New export opportunities and trade liberalization measures have helped some LDC exporters become a success, noted 75 LDC exporters and...

Organic spice trade helps Rural Empowerment in India.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... In 2000, ITC won an award at the World Bank's Development Marketplace competition for innovative ideas for poverty reduction (see Forum 1/2000). The winning project, "Empowerment of Rural Communities to Export Organic Spices from India" uses...

Executive Forum 2001.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... This year's Executive Forum on National Export Strategies will focus on the theme "Is Your Trade Support Network Working?" The debate, to be held in Montreux, Switzerland from 26-30 September, will be tailored to developing a "best practice"...

ITC Attends Southern Africa Economic Summit 2001. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... ITC representatives recently attended the World Economic Forum's Southern Africa Economic Summit 2001, held in South Africa (Durban, 6-B June). Mr Belisle's statements on this occasion, calling on southern Africa to prepare for the World Trade...

Trade Information and E-commerce Training in India. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Responding to a request from the National Centre for Trade Information (NCTI) in New Delhi, ITC organized a regional workshop and three local followup seminars on "Trade Information and E-Commerce' in India. The workshop (New Delhi, 23-26...

Major Markets for Cotton T-shirts. (ITC Technical Papers).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Major Markets for Cotton T-shirts: 115 pages (Technical Paper). Market survey on cotton T-shirts in the European Union (with particular reference to Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden), United States and Japan -- discusses international...

Exporting Cardamom to the European Union. (Market Brief).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... The European Union (EU) imports some 1,200 tonnes of cardamom annually for a total value of about US$ 6 million. Guatemalan exporters provide about 80% of EU requirements. Other suppliers include India and Papua New Guinea. The leading markets...

Demand is not high, and easily oversupplied. (Market Brief).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... EU demand for cardamom is stable but supplies are heavily dependent on conditions in Guatemala. Alternative suppliers have minor significance in the market. New supplies from other regions would help to stabilize the availability of cardamom in...

International Trade Rules: Business questions about the world trading system and the WTO. (ITC Technical Papers).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... International Trade Rules: Business Questions about the World Trading System and the WTO. 116 pages (Technical Paper). Guide aimed at small and medium enterprises in developing and least developed countries, and economies in transition,...

Trade in Euro: A guide for enterprises and trade support agencies in developing and transition countries. (ITC Technical Papers).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Trade in Euro: A guide for enterprises and trade support agencies in developing and transition countries. 80 pages (Technical Paper). Guide analysing implications of the introduction of euro for small and medium enterprises in developing...

Fibres and Textiles Industry at the turn of the century: Some Observations. (ITC Technical Papers).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Fibres and Textiles Industry at the Turn of the Century: Some Observations. 44 pages (Technical Paper). Background paper covering issues with significant impact on future development in international trade in textiles and clothing, focuses on...

Rules of Origin in Export Credit Insurance. (ITC Technical Papers).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Rules of Origin in Export Credit Insurance. 35 pages (Technical Paper). Paper focusing on impact of the rules of origin on export credit insurance, it provides background information on rules of origin and describes export credit insurance...