Publications

Young entrepreneurs face markedly higher barriers than their older peers to access finance and expand their business. The International Trade Centre, through its YE! Community, has surveyed young entrepreneurs to understand their main funding needs and challenges they face when trying to obtain...

Pharmaceuticals, baby food, cotton clothing and cars are the four focus value chains of this report. 

Good Practices in the Global Apparel Industry provides valuable insight on ways for small and medium-sized enterprises to move up the value chain and away from low-value contract manufacturing.

Nepal could lose 4.3% of exports because of tariff changes when it graduates from least developed country status in 2026. The removal of preferential tariffs will especially affect the apparel, synthetic textile fabric and carpet sectors. Losses will mostly occur in exports to China, the European...

The Textile and Clothing Sector in Asian Graduating Least Developed Countries: Challenges and Ways Forward

Cotton by-products – such as cottonseed oil and oilcakes – can contribute meaningfully to reducing poverty, creating jobs and increasing economic growth in Africa. These derivatives can represent up to 30% of the value of seed cotton. Yet oil and cakes have not been fully exploited, despite a...

While more than 40% of existing trade strategies identify trade integration and regionalism as crucial policy areas, less than 3% of the strategies are regional. Nor do they fully build on diversification opportunities in services and manufacturing.This is one of many trends in trade strategies,...

Hungarian SMEs account for 99.8% of enterprises, 70% of employment, 50% of value added and 28% of its exports to the European Union.

Trade promotion pays - both in export and GDP growth, according to this ITC report. The way trade promotion agencies are managed also changes their impact on a country’s prosperity.For every dollar of export promotion invested in a national trade promotion organization (TPO), there are $87 of...

The SME Competitiveness Outlook argues that small and medium-sized firms are the ‘missing link’ to inclusive growth.

Greater access to information about export opportunities is essential for determining SME export success.SMEs which participate in international trade are more productive than those which do not. Integration into global and regional markets is thus likely to help close the productivity gap between...

This case study of a Chinese solar panel producer investigates the role of services in manufacturing value chains, and highlights the effect of government policies on photovoltaic industry development and international trade flows. Up to 40 types of services are required to manufacture solar panels,...