Poor Communities and Trade Programme

    Overview

    Summary

    Poor Communities and Trade Programme (PCTP), at the International Trade Centre (ITC), aims to reduce global poverty by strengthening the capacities of developing country micro-entrepreneurs, social enterprises and emerging designers for export trade, in order to connect them with international buyers, in the value chain of ethical fashion, through an inclusive business model.

    PCTP provides technical expertise and business support to informal micro-enterprises and to emerging designers, through a business support infrastructure (based on hubs managed by social enterprises) that enables them to acquire capacities to set up and manage production and quality control systems, logistics and supply chain management, market identification and buyer negotiation skills. This market-based approach to poverty reduction provides micro-entrepreneurs form the informal sector (for the majority women)  with the direct benefits of trade by creating jobs and facilitating business opportunities resulting in increased incomes, improved livelihoods and new linkages to the formal economy.

    Within its social enterprises around the world, ITC’s Ethical Fashion Initiative (EFI) in 2019 focus on the following deliverables:

    • Living wage assessments are carried out in 8 project countries
    • African Fashion Fund in collaboration with the Ethical Fashion Initiative 
    • New business model, based on online trade is developed and launched
    • Events in coordination with the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion are organised
    • Generating awareness on the impacts of climate change and conflicts affecting livelihoods of people in selected project countrie

    In 2020 the Initiative will focus on the following deliverables:

    Output 3.1: Accelerator launched with six African designers 4 of which are from countries not involved in the existing project frameworks of the EFI (expansion of EFI’s network and creation of new opportunities for intra-African trade). 

    Output 3.2: Eritrea project framework tested through preliminary activities, designed and submitted 

    In 2021

    Partners

    Sustainable Development Goals

    This project contributes to the following Sustainable Development Goals, as defined by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

    ITC contact

    Simone
    Cipriani
    Email
    cipriani [at] intracen.org