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ITC Annual Report 2017

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ITC Annual Report 2017 TRADE IMPACT FOR GOOD Annual Report 2017 ITC is the only international agency fully dedicated to the development of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Working with partners to strengthen the competitiveness of MSME exporters, we help to build vibrant, sustainable export sectors that provide entrepreneurial opportunities, particularly for women, young people and poor communities. II INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE © shutterstock.com Trade impact for good ANNUAL REPORT 2017 1 Contents Foreword 4 The Global Goals are ITC’s goals 6 The global context 8 ITC INTERVENTIONS: DOING MORE, BETTER 12 Providing Trade and Market Intelligence 16 Building a Conducive Business Environment 26 Strengthening Trade and Investment Support Institutions 34 Connecting to International Value Chains 40 Promoting and Mainstreaming Inclusive and Green Trade 48 Supporting Regional Economic Integration and South-South Links 60 CORPORATE RESULTS 66 Corporate governance 68 Evaluation and performance 70 Financial overview 72 Human resource management 75 Communication and outreach 77 Major ITC events 79 Partnerships 81 APPENDICES 86 APPENDIX I: ITC focus areas and programmes 88 APPENDIX II: ITC technical cooperation by region and focus area 90 APPENDIX III: ITC country and regional projects and programmes by country 95 APPENDIX IV: ITC needs assessment and project design in 2017 by region 103 APPENDIX V: Profile of ITC staff 106 APPENDIX VI: Distribution of assignments by nationality and gender of experts, 2017 107 APPENDIX VII: Schedule of voluntary contributions to the ITC Trust Fund 111 2 INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE Case studies PROVIDING TRADE AND MARKET INTELLIGENCE 20 22 24 Training South Using business surveys Global Trade Helpdesk: African diplomats to help Philippine A one-stop shop for to help businesses MSMEs overcome MSMEs to access enter new markets export obstacles market information BUILDING A CONDUCIVE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT 30 32 Including the private Laying the policy sector voice in trade groundwork to advance facilitations reforms Afghan trade STRENGTHENING TRADE AND INVESTMENT SUPPORT INSTITUTIONS 36 38 Bringing Costa Rica’s Understanding how TISIs formula for investment can help small businesses promotion to Eastern Africa become more competitive CONNECTING TO INTERNATIONAL VALUE CHAINS 42 44 46 Connecting MSMEs Supporting value Getting African to international addition and export coffee producers markets to create growth in Nepal’s higher prices through jobs in North Africa pashmina sector online auctions PROMOTING AND MAINSTREAMING INCLUSIVE AND GREEN TRADE 54 56 58 Empowering women Colombian cocoa entrepreneurs producers use Improving livelihoods across the Indian sustainability guidelines for displaced Syrian Ocean region to earn price premiums women through trade SUPPORTING REGIONAL ECONOMIC INTEGRATION AND SOUTH-SOUTH LINKS 62 64 In West Africa, a multi-pronged approach Building digital skills in to boost regional trade Eastern Africa ANNUAL REPORT 2017 3 Foreword For the global economy, 2017 was a year in which the long On issues at the heart of making trade more equitable and aftermath of the financial crisis finally showed signs of inclusive – MSMEs, e-commerce and women’s economic receding. After nearly a decade of slow progress, growth empowerment – ITC is advocating for better policies and rates ticked upwards around the world, pulling trade practices at the domestic level while working to inform and volumes sharply higher in their wake. influence future international rules. And yet the year was marked by the strongest headwinds The United Nations system in 2017 formally recognized in decades for trade and for multilateral cooperation MSMEs’ importance and ITC’s role in supporting them when more generally. The value of rules-based global trade was it designated ITC as the agency responsible for the first openly called into question. International obligations of all international MSME Day. The now-annual event will shine a kinds – on trade, on the environment, on migration – were regular spotlight on the importance of promoting dynamic frequently depicted as weakening individual countries and small business sectors. governments, instead of as enhancing their ability to cope By shedding light on the practical problems MSMEs with interconnected challenges. encounter when trying to trade online, ITC analysis is The fact is that to achieve the Sustainable Development helping set the agenda for nascent international Goals (SDGs) – to eliminate poverty and reduce engagement on e-commerce governance. socioeconomic inequality while shifting our economies Another highlight for the year was the adoption, by more towards environmental sustainability – we need more and than 120 governments, of the Buenos Aires Declaration on better cross-border cooperation coupled with more effective Women and Trade during the World Trade Organization action at home. (WTO) ministerial meeting in the Argentinian capital. ITC had Ensuring that all people, in all countries, are able to share in been at the forefront of this effort to place women on the the gains from trade and technological progress would in global trade agenda. The declaration builds on ITC’s turn go a long way towards calming the storms now SheTrades initiative, which since 2015 has helped women- buffeting global economic relations. Connecting micro, owned businesses connect to new buyers, while small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to challenging governments, the private sector and civil society international value chains is particularly important for making to do more to empower women as equal actors in the trade inclusive, since these firms employ the bulk of the economy. Our advocacy for women begins at home: ITC labour force just about everywhere. efforts to achieve gender parity at all professional levels have been hailed as a model by United Nations Secretary- The International Trade Centre (ITC) remains committed to General António Guterres. making trade work for the 99%. Since our founding in 1964 we have worked to empower businesses from developing This report summarizes how ITC worked to make trade and least developed countries to seize the opportunities happen in 2017. We delivered over $46 million of extra- presented by the global economy. This is done not as an budgetary expenditures on technical assistance, capacity end in itself, but as a means to raise incomes and expand support and innovative analysis designed to equip life opportunities, particularly for people at the base of the policymakers and businesses to make better decisions. economic pyramid. Unexpected reductions in voluntary support prompted restraint in spending that was prudent at the time, though it At a moment of uncertainty around future international may in hindsight appear excessively cautious in light of new market opening, our approach – equipping businesses to contributions agreed during the year. make the most of whatever market access terms they receive – is more relevant than ever. Our new Strategic Plan Within this report you will find key results from each of the 15 for 2018 to 2021 charts a clear course for how ITC will make programmes into which ITC interventions have been trade work to achieve the SDGs. organized. A theme that cuts across many of them is work to promote intraregional trade in the West African Economic 4 INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE 1 2 3 4 1. MSME Day 2017 2. Global Trade Helpdesk launch, Eleventh WTO Ministerial Conference 3. ITC Executive Director Arancha González and UN Secretary-General António Guterres 4. Adopting the Buenos Aires Declaration on Women and Trade and Monetary Union, an example of how different parts of of Costa Rica’s investment promotion agency to boost the the organization are complementing each other to deliver as effectiveness of its counterparts in four African countries. one in pursuit of shared objectives. ITC’s efforts to increase and diversify funding sources are A dozen case studies from across the six focus areas of our yielding results in financial commitments, but more work illustrate the impact of ITC projects, from equipping importantly, in impact on people’s lives. We hope that you diplomats with the analytical skills to better pursue their will continue to see ITC as your partner for delivering trade countries’ commercial interests to helping Colombian cocoa impact for good. farmers earn the price premiums that come with more sustainable production. Three ‘ITC Innovates’ stories look at new initiatives that promise to yield substantial dividends in the future. One of them describes the Global Trade Helpdesk, a multi-agency trade intelligence platform that will become a one-stop shop for businesses seeking the Arancha González information they need to sell into target markets. Executive Director The report reflects the growing prominence of the digital economy in ITC’s work, from building information technology skills to using online auctions to help coffee producers secure higher prices. Triangular cooperation is another increasingly important part of the ITC portfolio, reflected in initiatives to boost African trade and investment with China and India and a project leveraging the expertise ANNUAL REPORT 2017 5 The Global Goals are ITC’s goals The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent a ITC contributes to the Global Goals via its support to universal, global development agenda for all United Nations micro, small and medium-sized entreprise (MSME) international member states and development actors until 2030. competitiveness
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