International Trade Forum articles from April 2007

International Trade Forum archives from April 2007

Taking off with trade.(From the Editor)
April 1, 2007... September marks the midway point in a worldwide effort to "Make Poverty History"--the aim of the Millennium Development Goals, the UN-led initiative to reduce poverty by 2015. We need to step up the pace to meet these goals. Building the...

Creating wealth, reducing poverty: a key to transform economies and meet the Millennium Development Goal to end poverty by 2015 is ensuring that trade becomes part of development policy, with a central role for women and small business.(Taking Off with Trade)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A change is under way. Business, government and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have realized that they must join forces if they are to tackle one of the big-challenges of this century: ending poverty. Central...

New business-NGO partnerships help the world's poorest: innovative approaches to reduce poverty through trade are bringing business, NGOs, government and aid agencies together in new ways.(Trading Off with Trade)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] "We believe that the leading global companies of 2020 will be those that provide goods and services and reach new customers in ways that address the world's major challenge--including poverty, climate change,...

In pictures: strategies to take off with exports.(Taking Off with Trade)
April 1, 2007... Moving up the Value Chain High-end manufacturing [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] China mores up: Over time, entire industry sectors and even national economies can more up the value chain. While low-end exports are losing momentum in...

Across three continents: a journey from bananas to chips: a Peruvian entrepreneur, far from the capital, turns plaintain bananas, a low-return commodity, into chips, a high-value export. Finding a training partner in management skills proved the key to moving this Peruvian exporter up the value chain.(Trade in Action: These stories from Peru, Romania, Botswana, Uganda and Oman show solutions for some variety shared export challenges)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] by Trade Forum editorial team Until 1993 Luis Augusto Pajuelo, a farmer in Piura, north-western Peru, was selling bananas at a very low price. Then he hit on the idea of marketing a traditional, locally based...

Linking business communities to export markets: Romania's national strategy connects regions, towns and villages. The aim is to build a broader base of exporters and a new range of exports that meet demands in new markets, especially in the European Union.(Trade in Action)
April 1, 2007... Romania's approach to export development can be summed up in one sentence. First, come together at the national level and work out how to act locally; then, make efforts to ensure local impact through a national strategy and an institution that...

CSR: a stepping stone in regional markets: a Botswana entrepreneur, inspired to make his continent a safer and cleaner place, is using his South-South connections to expand his waste sanitation business.(Trade in Action)
April 1, 2007... My story started when I had the opportunity to go and study in the United States. It was very different from the environment that I was used to in Africa. I decided that I really wanted to venture into a business where I could contribute in a...

Changing mindsets with ACCESS! to markets: targeted programmes help women exporters get the assistance they need.(Trade in Action)
April 1, 2007... I would like to speak on behalf of the women entrepreneurs that I have been representing for the past three or four years. The reality is that we are very small, we work in isolation and we produce numerous products. How do we change our...

If you can't sell it, don't make it: Oman used ITC's tools for an integrated solution to diversify exports in its oil-fuelled economy.(Trade in Action: These stories from Peru, Romania, Botswana, Uganda and Oman show solutions for some variety shared export challenges)
April 1, 2007... For a long time we had an economic policy based on the following principle: if it moves, tax it; if it is still moving, legislate it; if it stops, subsidize it. Obviously we didn't get anywhere. Since 1996 we have conducted a new strategy....

The new ITC: responding to what countries and clients want.(ITC News)(International Trade Centre)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ITC's roadmap for the future emerged during the most recent meeting of its Joint Advisory Group, held in April this year. The aim is to move ITC from having strong products to delivering strategic solutions for its...

ITC supports 2009 International Colloquium of Women Leaders in Liberia.(ITC On The Agenda)(International Trade Centre)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... In 2009, a major international colloquium on women's leadership will take place in Liberia, convened by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and President Tarja Halonen of Finland. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ITC strongly supports...

Jamaican Prime Minister at ITC.(ITC On The Agenda)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jamaica's Prime Minister, HE Portia Simpson-Miller, visited ITC with a Jamaican delegation on 12 June 2007, the first anniversary of Patricia R. Francis' taking up the post of Executive Director of ITC. They...

Swaziland's Prime Minister visits ITC.(ITC On The Agenda)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Swaziland's Prime Minister, HE Absalom Themba Dlamini, and officials from Swaziland's Mission to the United Nations Office in Geneva met with ITC's management in May 2007 to discuss ITC's work in the region and the...

ITC's World Export Development Forum.(ITC On The Agenda)(International Trade Centre)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... ITC is upgrading its flagship event, the Executive Forum on National Export Strategies, to reflect the leadership position that ITC has achieved in export development and export competitiveness--an area that ITC intends to reinforce and expand....

Encouraging African Business at the World Economic Forum: business matchmaking and development advocacy go hand-in-hand for ITC at the latest gathering in Cape Town.(ITC On The Agenda)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... For ten years, ITC's business matchmaking services at the World Economic Forum's annual gathering in Africa have led to new business ventures. At Cape Town in June this year, ITC again organized business matchmaking meetings--over 400...

Aid for trade: Montreux meeting brings business voice to aid for trade assessments: from trade policy to project design, listening to the voice of business is the key to making sure that Aid for Trade really boosts exports.(ITC On The Agenda)
April 1, 2007... Business association leaders from Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America met with trade experts in Montreux, Switzerland in June to shape ideas on how best to channel foreign aid to help developing countries boost their exports. The three-day...

South African firms look to expand their share of UN procurement: the latest annual meeting of UN buyers allowed South African firms to make new business contacts, building on an ITC partnership with South Africa's Department of Trade and Industry.(ITC In The Field)
April 1, 2007... South African suppliers and United Nations (UN) procurement officers explored how to expand South African business presence among UN buyers for relief items, in a June meeting organized by the dti, South Africa's Department of Trade and...

European buyers meet organic farmers in Uganda: European importers of organic products meet Ugandan exporters and farmers face to face on ITC's Buyers' Tour.(ITC In The Field)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Judith Chemutai has just started working as a field officer for Kawacom Ltd, one of Uganda's major coffee exporters. She works near Kapchorwa in eastern Uganda, where some 4,700 farmers grow certified organic coffee...

World Cup 2010: ITC supports Tourism Development kick-off.(ITC In The Field)
April 1, 2007... Officials, tourist industry leaders and community organizations from South Africa's Eastern Cape province met in Port Elizabeth in June to ensure the region uses the 2010 FIFA World Cup to create a solid basis for reducing poverty, through a...

Viet Nam integrates trade defence into its policy: for successful trade defence, business and government need a shared system and understanding. ITC worked with the newest WTO member to set up the foundations.(ITC In The Field)(trade defence instruments )
April 1, 2007... In January 2007, Viet Nam became the 150th member of the World Trade Organization, after 11 years of preparation, including eight years of negotiation. At the time, WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy commented on the "remarkable efforts" that...

New trade and investment agency in Sierra Leone.(ITC Trade Support Network)(Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency)
April 1, 2007... In its post-war efforts to revitalize exports, Sierra Leone has set up a new trade promotion authority, the Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency. The initiative is part of a larger reform process to make it easier to do...

African TPOs meet.(ITC Trade Support Network)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... National trade support institutions in eastern and southern Africa met in Nairobi in August 2007 to discuss how they can improve trade integration within Africa. The meeting was organized by the Common Market for Eastern and Southern...

Mexico's new trade and investment agency.(ITC Trade Support Network)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... ProMexico is the new agency for Mexican trade and investment promotion. It will become operational during 2007, as a countrywide agency attached to the Ministry of Economy. Its governing structure foresees representation from federal, state and...

Meet our readers: meet a long-standing partner at the Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.(ITC Trade Forum Feedback)(Interview)
April 1, 2007... In the last issue, we began a new series featuring individual Trade Forum readers. The aim is to share ideas on how readers are using the magazine to get to grips with trade development trends and issues. This time, Sambuu Demberel,...

World Tariff Profiles 2006: a joint publication of WTO, UNCTAD and ITC.(Three New joint Publications: New guides on tariffs, food safety and quality management to help exporting small firms boost their international competitiveness)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Perhaps more than in any previous multilateral round of trade negotiations, "tariffs" and "formulas" are at the core of the Doha negotiations. Up to now, access to these data was cumbersome and limited to a closed circle of trade...

Bangladesh launches national version of Export Quality Management book.(Three New joint Publications: New guides on tariffs, food safety and quality management to help exporting small firms boost their international competitiveness)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... The Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) has recently customized ITC's book Export Quality Management: An answer book for small and medium-sized exporters. The adaptation was completed as part of the Bangladesh Quality Support...

New books and technical papers.(ITC Information Products)
April 1, 2007... Business Guide to Trade Remedies in the United States: Anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguards legislation, practices and procedures 226 pages, revised edition. Guide to trade remedy procedures (anti-dumping, countervailing and...