International Trade Centre (ITC)
1. Responding to the multiple crises, has the governing body of your organization taken any decisions or adopted any new strategies to enhance effective delivery of sustainable, resilient, and innovative solutions and to reinforce the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and poverty eradication?
The International Trade Centre (ITC) has adopted a Strategic plan for the period of 2022-25, that outlines its responses to multiple crises (including conflict, climate, COVID-19, and cost-of-living challenges). These strategies are aligned with the goals of delivering sustainable, resilient, and innovative solutions to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and poverty eradication.
ITC contributes to inclusion, sustainability and prosperity through its work in five key impact areas: Sustainable and resilient value chains, Inclusive trade, Green trade, Digital Trade, Regional integration and South-South trade.
Sustainable and Resilient Value Chains
Value chains will continue to reorganize, as lead firms adapt their sourcing strategies to manage supply chain risks, integrate new technologies, and respond to changing demand and political pressures. Global value chains are also becoming more knowledge-intensive with less emphasis on labour cost arbitrage. ITC is poised to guide MSMEs in navigating these changes.
ITC targets sectors where there is the greatest potential to achieve developmental change by improving income and employment generation and stimulating positive spillovers to other sectors in the economy. Our work includes a focus on rural MSMEs, for example via the Alliances for Action (A4A) methodology where private and public actors join forces to promote competitiveness and income-risk diversification for smallholder farmers and MSMEs in the context of enhanced sustainable participation in value chains. ITC will increase its scope and number of multistakeholder processes in selected sectors, such as coffee, to influence how value is created and distributed. ITC will scale up its work in services sectors, including logistics, and on helping MSMEs capture higher value services elements within goods sectors, such as after-sales or pre-production services. We will improve analytics to better target systemic factors that improve the resilience of enterprises and allow vulnerable actors to benefit from trade. Our value chain diagnostic methodology will be strengthened to identify opportunities and barriers in cross-country value chain development.
Inclusive trade: Women, youth and people in vulnerable situations
The inclusion imperative has taken on greater salience due to the rise in inequalities across multiple dimensions witnessed during the pandemic. ITC has renewed its commitment and deepened its work on inclusive trade, focusing on economic empowerment and creation of entrepreneurial opportunities for women, youth and people in vulnerable situations, such as the poor, refugees, internally displaced persons, people with disabilities and other marginalized groups.
Green Trade:
Environmental sustainability and climate resilience are increasingly becoming key determinants of firm competitiveness, making a green shift of MSMEs a ‘must’ rather than an option. While balancing environmental and developmental goals, ITC helps MSMEs gain a competitive advantage by promoting sustainability and strengthening their ability to adapt, build resilience and manage risks. ITC launched a green moonshot with the vision of catalysing within four years 100,000 climate actions by MSMEs. ITC’s unique value in committing to this vision stems from a long history of cumulated technical expertise and tangible assistance on the ground to boost the capacity of MSMEs to build climate competitiveness and resilience. A Green Working Group was established at ITC to steer implementation of the green moonshot in the coming years.
Digital Trade:
The COVID-19 pandemic and rapid technological developments have accelerated the need for MSMEs to exploit and master digital technologies as the world shifts to conducting its business online. Digitalization has created vast opportunities, but has also left many behind. Many people in the least connected countries and regions, especially in rural and remote areas, do not have access to the opportunities of the digital economy. At ITC, we therefore see digital and the inclusion of the digitally unconnected as a priority. ITC’s efforts in this area centre on the digitalization of trade, especially e-commerce of goods and services, and the specific constraints facing MSMEs. In 2023 ITC launched a digital connectivity initiative dubbed Switch ON, focusing on delivering affordable networks and ensuring that the conditions are in place for MSMEs in the developing world to profit from digital trade. The initiative integrates different services and tools of the organization to support successful uptake of connectivity for digital trade.
Regional integration and South-South trade and investment:
South-South trade and investment offer opportunities to enhance economic development. However, the benefits of South-South trade and investment are often limited for MSMEs. ITC addresses these challenges by promoting dialogue, business links and institutional partnerships between countries in the Global South. One Trade Africa is ITC’s umbrella programme supporting the African business community, especially MSMEs, women and youth, to make the most of the AfCFTA. ITC also supports the African Trade Observatory (ATO), which serves as a repository of trade information and makes it possible to monitor, in real time, the pace of trade and economic integration in Africa. ATO provides the Africa Union Commission and its partner institutions with the necessary indicators to monitor progress towards trade integration in Africa.
2. In the past year, has your organization organized any intergovernmentally mandated conferences, forums or events that contributed to the achievement of the SDGs, or in the process of planning and organizing any such mandated events to be held next year?
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Event Name: |
SDG Mobilization Segment ahead of SDG Summit: Bridging the Financial Gap: Unleashing the Potential of SMEs |
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Event Dates: |
16/09/2023 |
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Event Location (City, Country): |
New York, USA |
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Relevant SDGs: |
5, 8, 9, 17 |
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Description (max 150 words): please include a short summary of the event’s mandate and contributions to the SDGs, including its main outcome(s) |
Jointly organized by the Executive Office of the Secretary General, International Trade Center (ITC) and UNCTAD, this event highlighted the critical role that MSMEs play in delivering sustainable development, and the need to address the huge financing gap they face. Expert speakers, including youth entrepreneurs from developing countries, discussed ways to enhance access to affordable long-term finance and digital technologies, with a focus on financial inclusion for women and youth-led businesses. Supply Chain Finance (SCF), leveraging public procurement policies, and designing patient capital were all identified as important pathways to pursue. |
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Website (if applicable) |
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Event Name: |
“Regaining lost ground in the LLDCs: The role of trade and digitalization” preparatory event to the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC3) in 2024 |
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Event Dates: |
17/09/2023 |
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Event Location (City, Country): |
New York, USA |
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Relevant SDGs: |
8, 9, 10 |
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Description (max 150 words): please include a short summary of the event’s mandate and contributions to the SDGs, including its main outcome(s) |
The high-level side event, organized as a preparatory side event of the Third United Nations Conference on LLDCs in Kigali, Rwanda in June 2024, discussed the financial and technological challenges faced by MSMEs in Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs). Speakers shared experiences of utilizing market-based approaches and innovative fintech solutions to improve MSMEs' access to finance. These interventions aim to enhance innovation, productivity, industrial development, and international trade in LLDCs, contributing significantly to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). The event's outcome will offer substantive recommendations to LLDC3, focusing on improving lending infrastructure and addressing trade complexities, thereby fostering development in LLDCs through stronger financial inclusion and technological integration.
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Website (if applicable) |
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Event Name: |
ITC @ 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) |
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Event Dates: |
5–9/03/2023 |
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Event Location (City, Country): |
Doha, Qatar |
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Relevant SDGs: |
4, 8, 9, 10, 17 |
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Description (max 150 words): please include a short summary of the event’s mandate and contributions to the SDGs, including its main outcome(s) |
At the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) hosted in Doha, ITC organized a series of sessions highlighting the critical role of trade and MSMEs as a driver of sustainable economic growth in LDCs, including launching the LDC Trade Tracker data tool, a Trade Report on improving food insecurity in LDCs, as well as contributing to several main and side events on economic transformation in LDCs and youth entrepreneurship.
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Website (if applicable) |
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Event Name: |
CSW67 Side Event: Empowerment of Women in the Digital Age through Entrepreneurship and Partnerships |
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Event Dates: |
10/03/2023 |
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Event Location (City, Country): |
New York, USA |
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Relevant SDGs: |
5, 8, 9, 17 |
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Description (max 150 words): please include a short summary of the event’s mandate and contributions to the SDGs, including its main outcome(s) |
This session brought together the public and private sectors, the international development community and civil society to discuss the challenges and opportunities for empowering women micro-entrepreneurs through mobile. It informed and inspired action to improve the digital and financial inclusion of women micro-entrepreneurs, delivering benefits not only for the women themselves but also for economies, communities, and households. |
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Website (if applicable) |
https://intracen.org/news-and-events/events/un-csw67-side-event-empower…; |
3. In the past year, has your organization published or planned to publish any analytical work or guidance note or toolkits to guide and support the implementation of SDGs at national, regional and global levels? Please select up to three to highlight, especially those that address interlinkages among the SDGs.
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Resource Name |
SME Competitiveness in Francophone Africa 2023: Building resilience to climate change (October 2023) |
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Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) |
9, 13, 17 |
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Publishing entity/entities |
International Trade Centre |
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Target audience |
French-speaking African firms Government and policy makers in French-speaking African countries International development organizations and NGOs Financial institutions |
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Description (max 150 words) |
Around 70% of firms in French-speaking Africa perceive a high risk to their businesses from environmental threats, highlighting the urgency for preventive, preparatory, and mitigation strategies. However, over 60% of these firms lack any climate adaptation or mitigation plans. This lack of preparedness signals a critical need for increased financial and technical assistance to develop effective climate strategies. This information emerges from a survey conducted in 13 French-speaking African countries. The survey was a collaborative effort between the International Trade Centre and the Permanent Conference of African and Francophone Consular Chambers, focusing on understanding the businesses' exposure to environmental risks and their existing practices in dealing with such challenges.
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Language(s) |
English |
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Website (if applicable) |
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Resource Name |
Making Digital Connectivity Work for MSMEs (September 2023) |
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Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) |
8, 9, 10, 17 |
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Publishing entity/entities |
International Trade Centre |
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Target audience |
MSMEs and Entrepreneurs Policy Makers and Government Agencies Development Organizations and Financial Institutions Telecommunications and Digital Service Providers |
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Description (max 150 words) |
Many micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) face significant barriers to realizing their potential in digital trade. From a lack of knowledge and skills to the unavailability of services or lack of access to a supportive environment, small businesses may find it challenging to benefit from digital connectivity.
In collaboration with the GSMA, with data provided by the Broadband Commission Working Group on Connectivity for MSMEs, this report defines the key challenges and opportunities associated with connectivity for MSMEs. |
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Language(s) |
English |
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Website (if applicable) |
https://intracen.org/resources/publications/broadband-commission-msme-connectivity |
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Resource Name |
LDC Trade Report 2023: Improving food security (March 2023) |
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Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) |
2, 12, 17 |
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Publishing entity/entities |
International Trade Centre |
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Target audience |
Governments and Policymakers in LDCs International Aid and Development Agencies Food and Agricultural Sector Stakeholders Trade Experts and Economists |
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Description (max 150 words) |
Trade improves the food supply of least developed countries (LDCs), but import dependence on concentrated suppliers of cereals, vegetable oils and sugar threatens their food security. In 2022, increasing food and fertiliser prices, the war in Ukraine and export restrictions depressed LDC food imports.
To boost resiliency, LDCs can improve market access for food imports, by revising tariffs and eliminating non-tariff obstacles, and tap into alternative supply sources, by diversifying suppliers and integrating into regional agrifood value chains.
The international community can play a critical role by improving market information and deterring the use of harmful export restrictions. |
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Language(s) |
English |
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Website (if applicable) |
https://intracen.org/resources/publications/LDC-Trade-Report-2023 |
4. In connection with the 2023 SDG Summit, the United Nations development system announced 12 High-Impact Initiatives where transformative progress is possible despite challenging global circumstances. Please share if your organization is contributing to any of these High Impact Initiatives and how various actors are being rallied behind them to mobilize further leadership and investment to bring progress to scale.
Spotlight Initiative
ITC and Spotlight Initiative have exchanged good practices about enhancing economic livelihood as an important dimension of reducing gender-based violence (GBV). Spotlight Initiative and ITC are in conversation to pursue joint programming and leveraging synergies with existing ITC and Spotlight Initiative activities in countries such as Sierra Leone and South Sudan. The focus is on economic livelihood as a preventive strategy against GBV and supporting GBV survivors.
Global Accelerator for Jobs and Social Protection
By boosting MSME competitiveness and job creation in various sectors, including through formalization, ITC indirectly contributes to the goals of the Global Accelerator initiative, aligning with its focus on economic growth and job creation.
Local2030 Coalition
ITC presented at the 2030 Local and Regional Government Forum (as part of SDG Mobilization Day on 16 September). ITC’s Executive Director presented efforts to work with local and regional governments to scale up Gender Responsive Public Procurement. After the event, local and regional leaders expressed interest in learning more.
Transforming4Trade
As a key partner of UNCTAD, ITC supports the transforming trade initiative of and looks forward to contributing, as requested, in the future country assessments to foster economy-wide productive capacities and achieve structural economic transformation.
Food Systems Transformation
The ITC Alliances for Action (A4A) Programme works with a network of partners worldwide to increase agribusiness value chains ethically and sustainably. The programme boosts farmer and small firm competitiveness, market access and values-based food systems. To keep the sector growing during the pandemic, the programme prioritized training on climate-smart crop diversification and value addition. https://www.intracen.org/sectors/Inclusive-agribusiness-value-chains/&n…;
5. In addition to the above, has your organization been part of any other initiatives or multi-stakeholder partnerships that enhance effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions and reinforce the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, especially in the areas of SDG1 (no poverty), SDG2 (zero hunger), SDG13 (climate action), SDG16 (peace, justice and strong institutions), SDG17 (partnerships for the goals), which will go under in-depth review at the HLPF in 2024, or related to the Secretary-General’s proposals in Our Common Agenda?
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Initiative/Partnership Name |
SheTrades |
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Partners (please list all partners) |
Funders: Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, India, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, 200 partner organizations including UPS, Maersk, Visa, Bamboo Capital, Unilever, Mastercard, VISA |
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Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) |
1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 17 |
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Member States benefiting from it |
SheTrades Hubs are present in Bangladash, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Mongolia, Argentina, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Dominican Republic, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and The Gambia. There are also 3 Regional SheTrades Hubs in the Middle East and North Africa, the Caribbean, and Africa |
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Description (max 150 words) |
The ITC’s SheTrades Initiative, aims to eliminate barriers hindering women's involvement in trade. Through collaboration with governments, the private sector, and entrepreneurs, the initiative focuses on enhancing the business capacities of women, fostering a more equitable and sustainable global economy. By providing women entrepreneurs and producers with vital knowledge, resources, and networks, SheTrades seeks to create an inclusive business ecosystem. The initiative supports policymakers in implementing inclusive reforms, utilizes public and private partnerships to magnify its impact, and has already directly assisted a network of over 100,000 women-led businesses. SheTrades addresses persistent barriers identified through consultations with global thought leaders, emphasizing gender-disaggregated research, inclusive policies, skills development, and improved access to markets and finance. Additionally, the initiative contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and works globally to champion quality data on women's participation in trade. SheTrades has a network of 200 partners across 65 countries.
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Website |
https://intracen.org/our-work/projects/inclusive-trade-shetrades-initiative |
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Initiative/Partnership Name |
Youth and Trade |
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Partners (please list all partners) |
UEFA Foundation; Fonds Pierre Castel; Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth; Accelerate20301 |
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Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) |
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 |
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Member States benefiting from it |
Botswana,Burundi, Cameroon, Colombia, Gaza, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zambia, among others. |
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Description (max 150 words) |
ITC’s Youth and Trade Programme promotes youth entrepreneurship in developing countries. We work with young people to develop their business and employability skills, which in turn improves their access to quality jobs with decent work conditions and increases their income.
We do this by working with a wide range of partners, such as policymakers, technical and vocational training institutions (TVET), business support organizations, local employers and multinational players, and of course, youth entrepreneurs themselves.
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Website |
https://intracen.org/our-work/topics/inclusive-trade/youth-and-trade |
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Initiative/Partnership Name |
Refugees/ Returnees Empowerment through Markets Initiative (REMI) |
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Partners (please list all partners) |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Norwegian Refugee Council, Danish Refugee Council, Shaqodoon Organization, Norwegian Refugee Council, Kazi Remote Limited, Visa, Mastercard, among others
Funders: ITC Trust Fund Window 1 (Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, India, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland); Norwegian Refugee Council |
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Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) |
1, 4, 5, 8 |
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Member States benefiting from it |
Kenya, Pakistan, Somalia2, among others
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Description (max 150 words) |
In response to the escalating global trends in migration and displacement, ITC aims to establish itself as a leading UN organization for trade and business-related programs catering to affected communities. Under the REMI Roadmap 2023-2025, ITC is dedicated to supporting refugees, IDPs, returnees, and MSMEs in host communities. Core activities include research, knowledge management, partnership strengthening, and synergizing efforts with other ITC programs. These initiatives collectively strive to enhance economic opportunities and resilience for populations facing displacement. From 2019 until 2023, the Refugee Employment and Skills Initiative (RESI Dadaab II), deployed innovative ways to address self-reliance and economic resilience in protracted humanitarian situations. The RESI Dadaab project provided support to entrepreneurship and business development for income generation to address the rapid phasing out of humanitarian assistance in the Dadaab camps, supporting Somali refugees to be able to maintain their well-being in the immediate future, including by supporting returnees in Somalia.
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Website |
https://intracen.org/our-work/projects/refugees-empowerment-through-mar…; |
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Initiative/Partnership Name |
Green Trade (Green MoonShot) and GreentoCompete |
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Partners (please list all partners) |
Project-specific funders and implementing partners: European Union, Germany, Netherlands (the), United States of America (the), Switzerland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the), Sweden, Republic of Korea (the), Finland, MPTF, UNDP, Enhanced Integrated Framework, Chocolats Halba/Coop Genossenschaft, Curaçao, Standards and Trade Development Facility, International Textile Manufacturers Federation, Sustainable Agriculture Initiative, Swisscontact, Global Coffee Platform |
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Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) |
12, 13, 17 |
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Member States benefiting from it |
Nepal, Vietnam, Nepal, Peru, Gambia https://intracen.org/news-and-events/news/vietnam-agro-processing-busin…; |
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Description (max 150 words) |
ITC launched a green moonshot with the vision of catalysing within four years 100,000 climate actions by MSMEs. ITC’s unique value in committing to this vision stems from a long history of cumulated technical expertise and tangible assistance on the ground to boost the capacity of MSMEs to build climate competitiveness and resilience. A Green Working Group was established at ITC to steer implementation of the green moonshot in the coming years.
Green-To-Compete Hubs in several countries supported MSMEs by integrating green services. ITC collaborated with eight business support organizations for green initiatives. Four rounds of consultations addressed 'deforestation-free' products. Adhering to sustainability standards became crucial for MSMEs, aided by the Trade for Sustainable Development initiative. Sustainability Map added a virtual network connecting communities. The Benchmarking Platform upgraded to include social and environmental sustainability parameters. The Gambia project focused on green economy promotion. ITC's COP27 report outlined a 10-step plan for small business climate resilience. First-year achievements included capacity building and green practices implementation.
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Website |
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Initiative/Partnership Name |
Alliances for Action |
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Partners (please list all partners) |
Chocolats Halba, UNIDO, World Bank, Caribbean Forum of ACP States, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the UK, European Union, Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute, among many others |
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Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) |
2, 8, 9, 13, 16, 17 |
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Member States benefiting from it |
35 countries in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Pacific and the Middle East |
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Description (max 150 words) |
ITC’s Alliances for Action initiative establishes a network that transforms food systems and advances the SDGs through producer partnerships that cultivate ethical, climate- smart, sustainable agricultural value chains. A4A promotes resilience and growth for farmers and MSMEs through more mindful and responsible trade, production and consumption systems and improved opportunities to compete on a global market. This includes building strength and competitiveness of MSMEs and enabling sustainable market linkages and value addition. In the long term, this will serve to incentivize and engage more youth and women at all sector levels. |
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Website |
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Initiative/Partnership Name |
Ethical Fashion Initiative |
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Partners (please list all partners) |
European Union (funder), Salvatore Ferragamo, JIAMINA KENYA, VERSACE, PITTI IMMAGINE UOMO, UNITED ARROWS, lukhanyo mdingi, MARGAUX WONG, Montecristo, Vivienne Westwood, LOEWE, HAMAJI, Chloe, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, ZAZI, Rummage Studio, CHAN LUU, asper institute, LAURENCEAIRLINE, RAπi, PARIS FASHION WEEK, OHIRI, Salone del Mobile Milano, WALES BONNER, Gold Standard, Zarif, POLIMOOA, GIORGIO ARMANI, adidas, MIMCO, sustanCERT |
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Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) |
1, 5, 8, 10, 12, 13,16,17 |
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Member States benefiting from it |
Burkina Faso, Mali, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Keny; Uganda, Uzbekistan, Cote d’Ivoire, Tajikistan3... |
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Description (max 150 words) |
For the Ethical Fashion Initiative (EFI), lifestyle choices impact livelihoods. EFI acts as a bridge, connecting marginalized artisan communities in emerging economies with discerning global lifestyle brands, creating meaningful work and fair, decent working conditions. EFI manages a structured network of social enterprises coordinating the work of artisans from the global South to produce for luxury clients worldwide.
Partner social enterprises, Artisan Fashion (Kenya), CABES (Burkina Faso), IkatUz (Uzbekistan), Koyibaton (Mali) and Ozara (Tajikistan) manage regional hubs to assist artisans and small producers with production, trade and logistics. With EFI support, they help build stronger communities and bring exquisite, handcrafted products to appreciative international markets.
We develop and sustain social enterprises, designers, artisans and micro-producers in fashion, interiors and fine foods. We build on tradition, heritage and craftsmanship, and inject modern production and business practices to improve quality, consistency and productivity while leaving intact the intrinsic value of the product’s provenance. |
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Website |
https://intracen.org/our-work/projects/ethical-fashion-initiative |
6. In the Political Declaration adopted at the 2023 SDG Summit, Member States committed to using the review of the high-level political forum at the 78th session of the General Assembly to further strengthen the follow-up and review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, harnessing data to track progress in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals and targets, strengthening analysis of the interlinkages across the Goals and targets, including policy implications of their synergies and trade-offs. Please provide your organization’s recommendations, if any, in this regard.
Harnessing data to track progress in implementation
ITC’s LDC Trade Tracker allows users to monitor the trade of least developed countries (LDCs) through thematic reports and interactive indicators. Explore recent trends and patterns in the trade of LDCs using the LDC Trade Tracker indicators of exports, imports, concentration and more. You can find ITC’s LDC Trade Tracker here: https://www.ldctrade.org/
ITC's Trade Briefs are addressing the pressing need for a global energy transition in the face of the climate crisis and exacerbated energy shortages due to the conflict in Ukraine. Amid disruptions in supply chains and raw material shortages, the series on "Energy Transition" underscores the importance of diversifying energy suppliers and increasing investments in renewable energy. By tracking the evolution of exports and imports, mapping manufacturing inputs, and identifying potential suppliers for key raw materials, ITC aims to provide valuable insights to support informed decision-making in achieving ambitious global climate target https://tradebriefs.intracen.org/2023/5/series