International Trade Centre - Institutional Support 2015

This grant represents Canada’s institutional support to the International Trade Centre the technical co-operation agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. The International Trade Centre uses these funds along with other donors’ funding to achieve its mandate. The International Trade Centre’s mandate is to support sustainable and inclusive trade promotion and export development within the global economy. It seeks to enable businesses in developing countries to increase exports and helps developing countries and economies in transition to improve the use of trade as a tool for development. The Centre provides assistance by making policy environments friendlier for export business by strengthening the institutions that provide support to exporters and by assisting small export enterprises and communities to reach global markets with products and services. Its activities take into account crosscutting development issues such as gender equality sustainable development and poverty reduction.

The expected outcomes as stated by the International Trade Centre include: (1) strengthening the integration of the business sector of developing countries and economies in transition into the global economy; (2) improving the performance of trade and investment support institutions for the benefit of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); and (3) improving the international competitiveness of SMEs.