Press releases

New handbook aims to enhance export capability of developing countries

11 January 2011
ITC News

Building linkages for export success is a new handbook that explores the different ways that closer collaboration between national standards bodies (NSBs) and trade promotion organizations (TPOs) can support and enable export enterprises. The handbook, a joint publication of the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), was written for officials working for NSBs, TPOs or government agencies and whose responsibilities include international trade.

 

NSBs and TPOs have specific and important roles to play - NSBs as developers of national standards and representatives of their country in international and regional standardization organizations, TPOs as the source of much needed foreign market information, and facilitators of export trade. In most developing countries, the NSB is the national enquiry point as required by the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Technical barriers to trade (TBT), and may also be a provider of conformity assessment services. However, in many countries, little or no formal cooperation existed in the past between NSBs and TPOs.

 

ITC Executive Director, Patricia Francis and ISO Secretary General, Rob Steele, state in the Foreword to the new book, ‘The growth of international trade and the increasing importance of high level standards and technical regulation in developed markets presents greater opportunities for NSBs and TPOs to collaborate and create more opportunities for exporters to understand market requirements, enhance national competitiveness and to achieve compliance’.

The publication was developed following the joint regional consultation on 'Quality Management: Linking TPOs and NSBs for Export Success' held in Malaysia in 2009 and which was partly funded by Sida, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. Based on the outcome of that meeting, it reflects the position of those participating and includes examples drawn from their shared experiences.

 

Building linkages for export success – Trade Promotion Organizations and National Standards Bodies working together, is printed in English(ISBN 978-92-67-10536-9), French (ISBN 978-92-67-20536-6) and Spanish (ISBN 978-92-67-30536-3) editions. The handbook can be downloaded from www.intracen.org/eqm/ (Bulletins & Handbooks) and is available through the ITC e-shop.

 

ITC is the joint agency of the WTO and the United Nations and is devoted to enabling small and medium businesses in developing countries become more competitive in global markets and thus to speed up sustainable economic development and contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.