New ITC guide encourages the creation of coalitions for services industries

ITC has launched a new guide to help countries expand trade opportunities for trade in services through coalitions of services industries.

Output of services has grown from roughly 55% of global GDP in the mid-1970s to some 70% today, and world exports of services now account for 45% of global trade in value added. As services firms perform and deliver differently from goods firms, coalitions have formed, mostly over the last decade, to educate policymakers about growth opportunities, reflecting the voice of services firms.

The guide, Creating Coalitions of Services Industries, builds significantly on earlier work in ITC and its partner organizations to review and analyze the 26 such coalitions around the world with a current online presence.

Services firms, associations and trade institutions that wish to join forces through coalitions will find concise guidance. National case studies from around the globe outline best practices in areas such as trade policy research for specific sectors, public relations outreach, creation of competitiveness roadmaps, development of quality standards and more.

“I encourage you to share this with your services SMEs, and services sector associations,” said ITC Executive Director Arancha González today, at the launch of the guide, during ITC’s Open Doors and Innovation Day. “This can help them gain greater appreciation of the important role that coalitions play in enhancing competitiveness and diversification.”

Last week, ITC rolled out the guide for testing in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and this week in Kigali, Rwanda, as an integral part of its technical programmes on trade in services. A companion guide focusing on implementation for services coalitions will be launched later this month.

See more at: http://www.intracen.org/publication/Creating-Coalitions-of-Services-Industries/