ITC publications bring the business voice to sustainable trade, with a focus on developing countries. We offer guidance for trade policymakers, business support organizations and small firms. Our reports offer insights to make trade more inclusive, green, digital and competitive.
Literature review of interdependencies between public and private standards. It focuses on how governments could engage with private standards to impact their legitimacy and significance in the market; provides examples of complementarities between public and private standards. Part three of a...
Private sustainability standards can be an effective tool to foster sustainable development. This paper outlines conditions for sustainability and potential obstacles. Private sustainability standards can bring benefits to producers and the supply chain. This literature review analyses why the...
To educate policymakers about obstacles specific to trade in services, this guide is for firms, associations and trade institutions who wish to join forces through coalitions. Trade policies should reflect the voice of services firms in order to maximize growth opportunities. To advise on the...
This is the first training guide that helps tea farmers and factories lower their emissions and reduce energy costs. It was created with the Ethical Tea Partnership, the Rainforest Alliance and FLOCERT using a Kenya Tea Development Agency factory as a pilot case. Climate change is already having an...
Understanding the global demand for environmental goods and services can unlock new export opportunities for developing country SMEs. This study provides a market overview of this complex sector, which reached an estimated US$ 866 billion in 2011, and is expected to rise to US$ 1.9 trillion by 2020...
Deeper regional integration goes hand in hand with strengthening processing industries and the internationalization of SMEs.Trade integration within and among regions of African, Caribbean and Pacific Island groups are measured in this study. Regions with the fastest trade integration over the last...
Asia-Pacific businesses call for services business groupings to join forces in a regional coalition, to shape a new APEC services agenda. Services represent 39% of APEC value-added trade – double the figures traditionally cited in balance of payments data. High-level business representatives in...
Pakistani companies in key export sectors can boost sales and employment by taking advantage of new market access terms offered by the European Union since 2014 under its ‘Generalized System of Preferences-plus’ (GSP+) scheme. This business guide outlines what the GSP+ status entails for...
This ITC 50th anniversary publication explores new opportunities to connect small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries to global markets, provides recommendations for trade assistance and presents a road map for ITC’s future work.
Global value chains in services can boost economies of small developing countries. The case of Costa Rica illustrates how global value chains in services can enable small developing countries to be significant actors in twenty-first century trade and investment patterns, as well as the challenges to...
Lack of adequate SPS infrastructure and a recognized national standards body in the country is one of the primary causes of difficulties faced by Cambodian exporters, according to ITC’s new country study on non-tariff measures. A survey of 502 exporters and importers in Cambodia finds 69% of the...
