Nepal

<p><span lang="EN-GB">The surge in demand for sustainable products and the global shift toward sustainable trade and finance have resulted in a proliferation of complex sustainability standards and regulations. These standards, some voluntary and others mandatory, pose challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in understanding and adhering to them. This difficulty affects SMEs&apos; competitiveness and diminishes their impact on productivity, employment, and growth. Failure to comply with these standards jeopardizes market access for SMEs and their supply chains. To address this, the Asian Development Bank&rsquo;s Trade &amp; Supply Chain Finance Program</span><span lang="EN-US">&nbsp;(TSCFP)</span><span lang="EN-GB">, in collaboration with the International Trade Centre, aims to augment the existing self-assessment module of the ITC Standards Map by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to create an SME Standards Navigation Toolkit. This solution supports SMEs by raising awareness of sustainability standards and evaluating their readiness for certification. It offers an online self-assessment to guide them towards certification, providing tailored recommendations for sustainable practices and compliance with relevant standards, ensuring alignment with their business goals. The toolkit will help SMEs&nbsp;</span><span lang="EN-US">in ADB developing member countries (DCMs)&nbsp;</span><span lang="EN-GB">increase their awareness of sustainability and regulatory standards, with an initial focus on social and labour sustainability in the textile and apparel sector. As this initiative progresses from its pilot phase, there is a clear pathway for scaling up. Options for expansion include transitioning from a pilot to a fully funded project by ADB.</span></p>

<p>The United Kingdom Trade Partnerships (UKTP) Programme aims to increase trade from developing countries to the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) by maximizing the benefits of UK and EU Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and the UK&apos;s Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS). The UKTP Programme works in partnership with government agencies, private sector organisations, public sector institutions, small and medium-sized enterprises and other local stakeholders.&nbsp;</p><p>The UKTP Programme is funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth &amp; Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland under the UK&apos;s Trade Centre of Expertise. EPA and DCTS countries participating in the UKTP Programme will have access to high quality trade-related technical assistance through sector initiatives. Target beneficiaries will be export-ready SMEs that are committed to securing new trade opportunities with the UK. This project will aim to promote exports through facilitating access to markets, providing advisory services to SMEs to improve their products and business operations, and strengthening business support organizations.&nbsp;</p><p>This project builds upon the lessons learnt and achievements of the UKTP programme since 2019. Previous engagement with SMEs in multiple EPA countries has shown the benefit of selecting export-ready companies with compelling products for UK customers and consumers to participate and of preparing them specifically with UK market entry services to succeed in the UK market.&nbsp;</p><p>This project complements and works in synergy with UKTP in the Pacific. &nbsp; &nbsp;</p>