Finland pledges €2m annual funding for ITC

Finland has pledged to contribute €2 million to the International Trade Centre (ITC), which will be dedicated to four focus areas of ITC’s portfolio to help boost the participation of developing-country small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in global trade.

The funding from Finland will help strengthen regional integration and south-south trade, assist trade and investment support institutions, enhance access to trade and market intelligence to boost SME competitiveness, and provide support to the implementation of the World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).

‘We very much appreciate Finland’s continued support and confidence in ITC,’ said Arancha González, ITC Executive Director. ‘This financial support from the Government of Finland reflects our common commitment to turn trade opportunities into trade realities for SMEs and to ensure that SME competitiveness translates into jobs and more inclusive societies, including for women entrepreneurs.’

Finland's Ambassador, H.E. Ms. Päivi Kairamo said ‘Finland is a long standing supporter of ITC. We appreciate ITC's focus to help SMEs in developing countries to connect to international trade. SMEs provide 60%-70% of employment worldwide, thus, empowering SMEs is a crucial component in our global efforts to eradicate poverty.’