Stories

Creating growth through inclusion and innovation

16 August 2012
ITC News
Growth, inclusion and innovation will take centre-stage at three ITC conferences this autumn in Indonesia, Malaysia and Mexico.

ITC’s global events this October and November will focus on innovation and emerging markets as forces to power sustainable export growth. The 13th World Export Development Forum (WEDF) will take place in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 15-17 October, followed by the Trade Promotion Organization Network World Conference & Awards in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 18-19 October, while the 3rd Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum will be held in Mexico City on 6-7 November.

WEDF: Linking growth markets

The Government of the Republic of Indonesia will host WEDF under the theme ‘Linking Growth Markets: New dynamics in global trade’. The conference will focus on the opportunities and innovative approaches to link growth markets through interregional trade, with a particular emphasis on the ASEAN region, Africa and Latin America.

Experts will explore recent trends and prospects for emerging markets, the hard and soft infrastructure necessary for enhancing trade, methods for improving commodity supply chains and ways to meet the demands of new consumer markets.

The theme of this year’s WEDF falls against the backdrop of continued instability in the global financial markets. The WTO has estimated that annual growth for 2012 will slow still further to 3.7%, a sharp decline from 2010 when annual global growth stood at 13.8%. In addition, the crisis in the euro zone could still deepen, which would have a knock-on effect on the bloc’s trading partners across the world.

In this environment it is more important than ever for developing and least developed countries to focus on emerging economies as an alternative to their traditional markets. ‘The private sector is now focusing more attention on these growth markets in Asia and Latin America, seeking new opportunities to complement sluggish growth in more mature markets. There are opportunities to be discovered for all regions, and we will showcase and discuss successful examples in very practical ways at WEDF,’ said Ms Patricia Francis, ITC’s Executive Director.

Speakers at WEDF include HE Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of the Republic of Indonesia, HE Gita Wirjawan, Minister of Trade for the Republic of Indonesia, and HE Tim Groser, Minister of Trade for New Zealand. The international community will be represented by, among others, Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General of UNCTAD, Mr Pascal Lamy, Director-General of WTO, and Ms Patricia Francis, Executive Director of ITC.

At WEDF 2012, participants will also be discussing the potential of growth markets and what their emergence means for the future. They will look at the new dynamics in global trade and how to increase South-South trade and boost regional trade. Focus will be put on interregional trade between Asia and Africa, and Asia and Latin America, and what lessons Africa can learn from intraregional trade in Asia and Latin America.

For more information and the programme.

You can also follow the latest on WEDF on our Facebook page  or join the conversation on Twitter.

WTPO Conference: Growth through innovation

The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) will host the ninth Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) Network World Conference & Awards. The event will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, under the theme ‘Transforming TPOs’ Business through Innovation’.

Participants at the conference will explore how TPOs can develop and implement innovations to better server exporters. They will also have the opportunity to gain practical knowledge from peers who will present good practices, and expand their contacts through networking opportunities.

The winners of the 2012 TPO Network Awards will be announced at a gala dinner on the first night of the conference. The awards will recognize excellence in trade support services and celebrate TPOs that have demonstrated outstanding performance in the use of innovative and efficient systems and procedures in their export development initiatives. This year four awards will be given for Excellence in Export Development Initiatives, awarded to one country from each of the following categories:
small island developing state; developing country; developed country; and least developed country.

For more information on the TPO Network Conference and Awards

Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum: Including women in global trade

Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs will host the Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum in Mexico City on 6-7 November. WVEF is the annual event of the Global Platform for Action on Sourcing from Women Vendors, which aims to increase the share of procurement secured by women vendors.

This year’s event will bring together vendors from across the world for debates on information technology, telecommunications and business process outsourcing. Participants will also share ideas on the built environment — such as clean and green technologies, and construction and mining — on trade facilitation. Focus will be also be put on coffee, textiles and apparel, as well as the agribusiness.

Earlier this year Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum was given a boost by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. At the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Women and the Economy Forum in St Petersburg, Russia, on 29 June, Ms Clinton said: ‘Today I am announcing two new APEC initiatives to expand women’s access to capital and markets. First, we want to help governments use their purchasing power to support women entrepreneurs and grow their economies. So we are working with the United Nations’ International Trade Centre to improve the ability of APEC governments to source from women-owned businesses.’

For more information on the Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum.