Sri Lanka

<p>The ITC&rsquo;s Supporting Trade Negotiations and Policy Reform Programme seeks to strengthen the capacity of public and private sector stakeholders to contribute to trade negotiations and policy formulation on emerging matters relating to facilitating green trade, e-commerce, inclusive trade, sustainable and resilient value chains, <span>&nbsp;</span>strengthened multilateral and regional integration, and other trade policy issues identified as relevant for a conducive business environment.&nbsp;</p><p>Through this project, ITC will, in relation to the topics mentioned above, seek to (a) enhance knowledge/awareness of stakeholders through technical briefs/guides and information-sharing/awareness-raising events; (b) capacitate stakeholders to formulate negotiating positions/submissions through advisory material/sessions and inputs from public and private sectors; and (c) support domestic trade policy reforms through technical studies/analyses and related advisory support to facilitate implementation of reforms, including undertaking legislative/regulatory reforms.&nbsp;</p><p>In designing and implementing such support, ITC builds upon the multilateral and regional/bilateral trading frameworks in place to ensure there is a coherent and coordinated approach to domestic trade and investment policy reforms and that measures implemented are aligned with trade commitments undertaken and/or international best practices in this regard.</p><p>The activities implemented under this project will be based on requests received from countries/institutions.</p>

<p><span lang="EN">The project preparation grant, funded by the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF), aims to prepare a feasibility study to evaluate the technical, economic and operational feasibility of value addition of five export crops (pineapple, papaya, banana, mango and passion fruit) in Sri Lanka and develop a five year strategic plan and a short-term operations plan for the Lanka Fruit and Vegetable Producers, Processors and Exporters Association (LFVPPEA). Implemented by ITC in close collaboration at national level with LFVPPEA, the one-year project (September 2017 &ndash; 2018) will build close synergies with the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Primary Industries and Ministries of Development Strategies and International Trade, Sri Lanka Export Development Board, in the domain of food safety and trade, as well as private sector associations (Ceylon Chambers of Commerce, Industrial Technology Institute and other relevant organizations).</span><span lang="EN">&nbsp;LFVPPEA and its members are the main beneficiaries of the project along with additional farmers and processors. International buyers and partners are identified to give market opportunities and development of the value chains.</span></p>

<p>AIM for Results is an intervention approach that strengthens the performance, efficiency and effectiveness of TISIs and builds their capacity to provide more effective support to the internationalisation needs of their clients, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).</p><p>AIM stands for Assess, Improve and Measure. It is a holistic and targeted integrated three-step-approach focusing on measurable results in order to improve the managerial, operational and service delivery performance of TSIs. The three pillars of AIM are offered either as a single module or as a complete performance improvement programme, depending on the needs of the beneficiary institutions.</p><p>&nbsp;In 2017, the project aims to improve the operational and managerial performance of 40 TISIs applying ITC&rsquo;s AIM For Results methodology.</p>

<p>The objective of this project is to enhance the functionalities and effective use of Trade Facilitation Portals by beneficiary countries with a view to create a more conducing cross-border environment for traders through improved transparency and simplified trade formalities.<span>&nbsp;This project builds upon ITC - UNCTAD longstanding partnership in the area of trade facilitation and creates opportunities for further build synergies across the agencies&apos; respective technical assistance offering.</span></p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Funded by GIZ, the project aims at enhancing the internaional trade competitiveness of Sri Lankan SMEs, especially those located in secondary growth centres, by automating the formalities related to the issuance of Certificates of Origin (CoO), simplifying export procedures as well as improving transparency requirements and access to trade-related information through increased user-friendlienss and accessibility of the Sri Lanka Trade Information Portal (SLTIP). It also aims at strengthening private sector&apos;s participation in trade facilitation reforms by strenghteining businesses&apos; representation into the Sri Lanka National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC). The project will partner with policymakers, trade-support institutions and businesses in Sri Lanka to increase rural SMEs&apos; participation in international trade, thereby <span lang="EN-US">contributing to sustainable and inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction in the Sri Lanka.</span></p>

<p><span lang="EN-GB">The EU - Sri Lanka Trade-Related Assistance Project aims to increase the trade competitiveness of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in regional and European Union (EU) markets.&nbsp;</span>The 4 year EU-funded project, worth EUR 8 million, contributes to inclusive trade led growth and regional integration. It supports SME export competitiveness and value addition in sectors with high potential for economic growth and development. The project helps Sri Lanka integrate the policies and regulatory reforms of the World Trade Organization (WTO), allowing SMEs to make the most of the potential opportunities resulting from the EU Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) Plus. It also enables greater regional integration within the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The project addresses compliance standards and efficiencies in cross border procedures, which are key constraints to market access, especially for SMEs. Specific attention is given to enhancing value chains in the spice, food and Information Technology/Business Process Outsourcing (IT/BPO) sectors. The project provides trade capacity building and technical assistance, with a strong focus on training and skills development. Women are heavily involved in trade and are therefore a target group when it comes to capacity building of SMEs and exporters.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

<p>Clothing is one of the largest industries in the world economy employing 60 to 75 million people worldwide. The negative social and environmental impacts of the fashion industry have been well documented, demonstrating that these impacts mostly occur within the upstream portion of the value chain. Improving traceability is a priority in order to determine how and where parts and components in production processes have been sourced and what are the environmental, social and health risks in the value chain. The action will support enhanced transparency and traceability in garment value chains, through the development of an IT &apos;track and trace&apos; platform that offers customized and open self-assessment and data sharing solutions for value chain stakeholders. Alongside the implementation of this platform, ITC will deliver a training and continuous improvement programme and, in collaboration with private sector partners, implement in a subset of textile and garment oriented countries.</p>