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Mauritian exporters claim to be less affected by trade barriers than many other countries that have participated in the ITC business surveys on non-tariff measures. Among the 400 Mauritian firms surveyed, 27% of exporters were adversely affected by non-tariff measures; 36% of importing firms...
Mauritian exporters claim to be less affected by trade barriers than many other countries that have participated in the ITC business surveys on non-tariff measures. Among the 400 Mauritian firms surveyed, 27% of exporters were adversely affected by non-tariff measures; 36% of importing firms...
The Mauritius Minister of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection, Cader Sayed-Hossen, underlined the role of the International Trade Centre (ITC) in supporting the implementation of a trade facilitation agreement and helping to develop a National Export Strategy which will promote economic diversification and growth. Mr Sayed-Hossen said this during his meeting with the Executive Director of the ITC, Arancha González, in Geneva on 18 March 2014.
The Executive Director commended the efforts of Enterprise Mauritius, the national trade promotion organisation (TPO), to build a strong network of African TPOs which can enhance regional economic integration.
The ITC held a workshop on non-tariff measures (NTMs) in Mauritius in January this year to discuss the findings of an ITC study on the impact of NTMs on Mauritian exporters as well as offering solutions and policy options to address issues, including sector and enterprise competitiveness.
The Mauritius Minister of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection, Cader Sayed-Hossen, underlined the role of the International Trade Centre (ITC) in supporting the implementation of a trade facilitation agreement and helping to develop a National Export Strategy which will promote economic diversification and growth. Mr Sayed-Hossen said this during his meeting with the Executive Director of the ITC, Arancha González, in Geneva on 18 March 2014.
The Executive Director commended the efforts of Enterprise Mauritius, the national trade promotion organisation (TPO), to build a strong network of African TPOs which can enhance regional economic integration.
The ITC held a workshop on non-tariff measures (NTMs) in Mauritius in January this year to discuss the findings of an ITC study on the impact of NTMs on Mauritian exporters as well as offering solutions and policy options to address issues, including sector and enterprise competitiveness.
Developing a national food control strategy and accreditation of official laboratories are some of the steps that Mauritius must take to remove barriers to trade. These and other issues were discussed at a workshop in Mauritius on 24 January where the main findings of a study on non-tariff measures (NTMs) affecting Mauritian exporters were discussed, along with solutions and potential policy options.
The workshop was organized by the Mauritian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC), which conducted the study, and brought together more than 60 participants from the public and private sectors in Mauritius, including government ministries, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Chamber of Agriculture, the Joint Economic Council and the Board of Investment and Enterprise Mauritius.
Experts examined the need to evaluate the extent of NTM related problems in order to develop an action plan, looking at, for instance, permits and procedural obstacles. NTMs, which include import quotas, special licences, export restrictions, export subsidies, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and rules of origin, have become the principal impediment to international trade and can prove to be a major obstacle to local, regional and global trade in both goods and services as companies struggle to comply with an increasingly complex web of policies and at times opaque technical standards.
ITC’s NTM Programme Manager Poonam Mohun said: “Though Mauritian companies enjoy preferential access in the EU market, they complained about the technical and conformity assessments requirements which they find cumbersome in these markets. Labelling, namely the need for labelling in various languages, was also considered to be an important non-tariff barrier.’’
At the workshop participants heard that NTM obstacles encountered within the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), in which Mauritius is a member, are particularly burdensome. COMESA markets comprise only 6% of the share of Mauritian agricultural exports however 29% of burdensome NTMs were encountered within COMESA. The Mauritian Government said it will raise matters identified in the ITC NTM survey with relevant destination countries, particularly Kenya. Evidence in the report will be used to support the Mauritians in their discussions.
Assad Bhuglah, Director of the International Trade Centre of the Mauritian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, said: "The Mauritian authorities have focused their efforts on eliminating trade barriers over the past three decades. However, the biggest obstacle to the development of trade is non-tariff measures which are often difficult to detect."
Mondher Mimouni, Chief, Market Analysis and Research, ITC said: “ITC will provide more technical assistance to help Mauritius to combat non-tariff measures that increasingly appear in many forms. As long as these measures are applied to protect the lives of human beings, animals and plants, they are a legitimate aim which is justified. However, these measures may also be applied as a protectionist tool and, in this case, not only act as barriers to trade but could also have a negative impact on the level of competition in the economy."
ITC is working with the private sector in 27 countries, including Mauritius, to identify barriers to trade and provide advice to governments on how to overcome and reduce them. Understanding enterprises’ key concerns with NTMs can assist governments to better define national strategies and policies and take concrete steps to alleviate the problems, for example by building national capacity in complying with technical regulations.
Developing a national food control strategy and accreditation of official laboratories are some of the steps that Mauritius must take to remove barriers to trade. These and other issues were discussed at a workshop in Mauritius on 24 January where the main findings of a study on non-tariff measures (NTMs) affecting Mauritian exporters were discussed, along with solutions and potential policy options.
The workshop was organized by the Mauritian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC), which conducted the study, and brought together more than 60 participants from the public and private sectors in Mauritius, including government ministries, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Chamber of Agriculture, the Joint Economic Council and the Board of Investment and Enterprise Mauritius.
Experts examined the need to evaluate the extent of NTM related problems in order to develop an action plan, looking at, for instance, permits and procedural obstacles. NTMs, which include import quotas, special licences, export restrictions, export subsidies, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and rules of origin, have become the principal impediment to international trade and can prove to be a major obstacle to local, regional and global trade in both goods and services as companies struggle to comply with an increasingly complex web of policies and at times opaque technical standards.
ITC’s NTM Programme Manager Poonam Mohun said: “Though Mauritian companies enjoy preferential access in the EU market, they complained about the technical and conformity assessments requirements which they find cumbersome in these markets. Labelling, namely the need for labelling in various languages, was also considered to be an important non-tariff barrier.’’
At the workshop participants heard that NTM obstacles encountered within the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), in which Mauritius is a member, are particularly burdensome. COMESA markets comprise only 6% of the share of Mauritian agricultural exports however 29% of burdensome NTMs were encountered within COMESA. The Mauritian Government said it will raise matters identified in the ITC NTM survey with relevant destination countries, particularly Kenya. Evidence in the report will be used to support the Mauritians in their discussions.
Assad Bhuglah, Director of the International Trade Centre of the Mauritian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, said: "The Mauritian authorities have focused their efforts on eliminating trade barriers over the past three decades. However, the biggest obstacle to the development of trade is non-tariff measures which are often difficult to detect."
Mondher Mimouni, Chief, Market Analysis and Research, ITC said: “ITC will provide more technical assistance to help Mauritius to combat non-tariff measures that increasingly appear in many forms. As long as these measures are applied to protect the lives of human beings, animals and plants, they are a legitimate aim which is justified. However, these measures may also be applied as a protectionist tool and, in this case, not only act as barriers to trade but could also have a negative impact on the level of competition in the economy."
ITC is working with the private sector in 27 countries, including Mauritius, to identify barriers to trade and provide advice to governments on how to overcome and reduce them. Understanding enterprises’ key concerns with NTMs can assist governments to better define national strategies and policies and take concrete steps to alleviate the problems, for example by building national capacity in complying with technical regulations.
Las empresas dirigidas por mujeres expusieron sus productos de artesanía, hogar y moda en la feria Ambiente de Fráncfort (Alemania), con lo que consiguieron nuevos compradores y contactos.
Las mujeres emprendedoras se enfrentan a unas barreras exacerbadas para acceder a los mercados mundiales, como un acceso insuficiente a la información de mercados o la exclusión de las redes empresariales dominadas por hombres.
La asistencia a ferias comerciales puede forjar nuevas conexiones en la industria, aumentar la visibilidad de sus marcas y desbloquear nuevas oportunidades de mercado para las empresas dirigidas por mujeres.
Del 26 al 30 de enero, el Centro de Comercio Internacional (ITC) ayudó a 10 emprendedoras de los centros SheTrades Hub del ITC en Bangladesh, Gambia, Indonesia, Kenya, Mauricio, Filipinas y la región del Caribe, concretamente Barbados y Santa Lucía, a exponer en Ambiente.
En los meses previous al evento, el ITC organizó un seminario web de cuatro partes y un programa de tutoría para las participantes y creó un catálogo empresarial para presentar sus negocios.
Durante estas sesiones, adaptadas a los mercados de la artesanía de la Unión Europea y del Reino Unido, las participantes adquirieron los conocimientos que les ayudarán a desenvolverse con seguridad en los aspectos relacionados con la logística, los procesos aduaneros, las estrategias de precios, la presentación de productos y los requisitos de sostenibilidad.
Para Nawshin Khair, fundadora de la empresa bangladesí de ropa sostenible y decoración para el hogar Aranya Crafts, el programa del ITC previo a la feria le permitió anticiparse a las preguntas habituales que le harían los compradores.
«Aprendí que las estrategias que debo seguir para establecer precios para las empresas y para los consumidores deben ser diferentes», dijo Khair. «Mis productos despertaron el interés de muchos visitantes y pude responder con elocuencia a sus preguntas gracias a mi preparación».
Khair conectó con un comprador sueco que se llevó productos de muestra y que planea hacer pedidos a Aranya Crafts.
Otras cuatro empresas de Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya y Barbados también recibieron pedidos en el evento.
Una de ellas fue Pt Greenie, un negocio de artesanía indonesia dirigido por Ika Juliana. Pt Greenie recibió pedidos de compradores de Estados Unidos de América y Alemania, ambos mercados nuevos para la empresa.
Ambiente encaja perfectamente con nuestros productos», afirmó Juliana. «No sólo conectamos con los clientes, sino que también obtuvimos información de gran valor para el crecimiento de nuestro negocio».
Las expositoras también recibieron a la embajadora de Filipinas en Alemania, S.E. Irene Susan B. Natividad, y dos representantes del Alto Comisionado Británico en Alemania en el stand del ITC.
La oportunidad de la feria comercial y las sesiones preparatorias fueron organizadas por el Programa SheTrades Commonwealth+, financiado por el Departamento de Desarrollo Internacional del Reino Unido.
El programa apoyará la próxima apertura del 18º centro SheTrades Hub, el 7º en África, que acogerá la Ghana Export Promotion Authority (Autoridad de Promoción de las Exportaciones de Ghana).
Los centros SheTrades Hub del ITC son centros de recursos dedicados a las mujeres emprendedoras y puestos en marcha en asociación con la iniciativa SheTrades del ITC.
Acogidos por instituciones líderes nacionales o regionales, los centros SheTrades Hub ofrecen a las mujeres emprendedoras los conocimientos, las capacidades y la plataforma para acceder a las oportunidades de los mercados y de la inversión.
Reunimos a una comunidad de socios para ampliar los recursos y las iniciativas de apoyo a las mujeres en el comercio.
La iniciativa SheTrades es el programa insignia del ITC sobre la mujer y el comercio y tiene el objetivo de eliminar los obstáculos a la participación de las mujeres en el comercio por medio de la colaboración con los gobiernos, el sector privado y el mundo empresarial para desarrollar las capacidades empresariales de las mujeres y crear una economía mundial más justa y sostenible.
Mauritian exporters claim to be less affected by trade barriers than many other countries that have participated in the ITC business surveys on non-tariff measures. Among the 400 Mauritian firms surveyed, 27% of exporters were adversely affected by non-tariff measures; 36% of importing firms...
Developing a national food control strategy and accreditation of official laboratories are some of the steps that Mauritius must take to remove barriers to trade. These and other issues were discussed at a workshop in Mauritius on 24 January where the main findings of a study on non-tariff measures (NTMs) affecting Mauritian exporters were discussed, along with solutions and potential policy options.
’The workshop was organized by the International Trade Centre (ITC) in collaboration with the Mauritian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which conducted the study, and brought together more than 60 participants from the public and private sectors in Mauritius, including government ministries, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Chamber of Agriculture, the Joint Economic Council and the Board of Investment and Enterprise Mauritius.
Experts examined the need to evaluate the extent of NTM related problems in order to develop an action plan, looking at, for instance, permits and procedural obstacles. NTMs, which include import quotas, special licences, export restrictions, export subsidies, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and rules of origin, have become the principal impediment to international trade and can prove to be a major obstacle to local, regional and global trade in both goods and services as companies struggle to comply with an increasingly complex web of policies and at times opaque technical standards.
ITC’s NTM Programme Manager Poonam Mohun said: “Though Mauritian companies enjoy preferential access in the EU market, they complained about the technical and conformity assessments requirements which they find cumbersome in these markets. Labelling, namely the need for labelling in various languages, was also considered to be an important non-tariff barrier.’’
At the workshop participants heard that NTM obstacles encountered within the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), in which Mauritius is a member, are particularly burdensome. COMESA markets comprise only 6% of the share of Mauritian agricultural exports however 29% of burdensome NTMs were encountered within COMESA. The Mauritian Government said it will raise matters identified in the ITC NTM survey with relevant destination countries, particularly Kenya. Evidence in the report will be used to support the Mauritians in their discussions.
’Assad Bhuglah, Director of the International Trade Division of the Mauritian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, said: "The Mauritian authorities have focused their efforts on eliminating trade barriers over the past three decades. However, the biggest obstacle to the development of trade is non-tariff measures which are often difficult to detect."
Mondher Mimouni, Chief, Market Analysis and Research, ITC said: “ITC will provide more technical assistance to help Mauritius to combat non-tariff measures that increasingly appear in many forms. As long as these measures are applied to protect the lives of human beings, animals and plants, they are a legitimate aim which is justified. However, these measures may also be applied as a protectionist tool and, in this case, not only act as barriers to trade but could also have a negative impact on the level of competition in the economy."
ITC is working with the private sector in 27 countries, including Mauritius, to identify barriers to trade and provide advice to governments on how to overcome and reduce them. Understanding enterprises’ key concerns with NTMs can assist governments to better define national strategies and policies and take concrete steps to alleviate the problems, for example by building national capacity in complying with technical regulations.
The women-led businesses exhibited their handicrafts, home and fashion products at the Ambiente trade fair in Frankfurt, Germany, securing new buyers and fresh leads.
Women entrepreneurs face compounded barriers to accessing global markets, from insufficient market information to exclusion from male-dominated business networks.
Attending trade fairs can forge new industry connections, increase brand visibility and unlock new market opportunities for women-led businesses.
On 26 – 30 January, International Trade Centre (ITC) supported 10 women entrepreneurs from ITC SheTrades Hubs in Bangladesh, The Gambia, Indonesia, Kenya, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the Caribbean region, namely Barbados and Saint Lucia, to exhibit at Ambiente.
ITC organized a four-part webinar and mentoring programme for the participants and created a business catalogue to feature their businesses in the months leading up to the event.
During these sessions – which were tailored to both the European Union and UK handicrafts markets – participants gained insights to help them confidently navigate logistics, customs, pricing strategies, product presentation and sustainability requirements.
For Nawshin Khair, founder of Bangladeshi sustainable clothing and home décor company, Aranya Crafts, ITC’s pre-trade fair programme allowed her to anticipate common questions that buyers would ask.
‘I learned that my pricing strategies for businesses and consumers should be different,’ said Khair. ‘My products piqued the interest of many visitors and I was able to eloquently respond to their queries as a result of the preparation we received.’
Khair connected with a Swedish buyer who took sample products and plans to order from Aranya Crafts.
Four other entrepreneurs from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya and Barbados also received orders at the event.
One of them was Pt Greenie, an Indonesian handicrafts business led by Ika Juliana. Pt Greenie secured orders from buyers in the United States and Germany—both new markets for the company.
‘Ambiente is a perfect fit for our products,’ said Juliana. ‘Not only did we connect with customers, but we also gained valuable insights for our business growth.’
The exhibitors also received the Ambassador of the Philippines to Germany, H.E. Irene Susan B. Natividad, and two representatives from the British High Commission in Germany at the ITC booth.
The trade fair opportunity and the preparatory sessions were organized by the SheTrades Commonwealth+ Programme, which is funded by the UK International Development.
The programme will soon support the launch of the 18th SheTrades Hub – and 7th in Africa – which will be hosted by the Ghana Export Promotion Authority.
ITC SheTrades Hubs are resource centres dedicated to women entrepreneurs and implemented in partnership with the ITC SheTrades Initiative.
Hosted by leading in-country or regional institutions, SheTrades Hubs offer women entrepreneurs the knowledge, skills and platform to access market and investment opportunities.
We bring together a community of partners to scale up resources and initiatives to support women in trade.
The SheTrades Initiative, the flagship ITC women and trade programme, aims to remove barriers to women's participation in trade by working with governments, the private sector, and entrepreneurs to build the business capacities of women and to create a fairer, more sustainable global economy.
