Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste: Support to Regional Integration and Trade
Sustainable Development Goals
<p>The Timor-Leste: Support to Regional Integration and Trade project will support Timor-Leste’s development plans to modernize its economy and trade integration supporting the negotiations of the ASEAN Membership (by focusing on the AEC), the WTO accession, and the EU-Pacific EPA negotiations, ensuring the coherence across the three parallel negotiations as well as the smooth implementation of the commitments after these trade agreement negotiations are completed.</p>
Conducive policy and regulatory environment: Trade negotiations and policy reform
Sustainable Development Goals
<p>The ITC’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/regulatory formulation on emerging matters relating to facilitating investment, green trade, e-commerce/digitalization, inclusive trade, sustainable and resilient value chains, industrialization plans, strengthened multilateral and regional integration, and other trade and investment policy issues identified as relevant for a conducive business environment.</p><p>Through this project, ITC will, in relation to the topics mentioned above, seek to (a) generate awareness/understanding of stakeholders through information-sharing/awareness-raising engagements; (b) capacitate stakeholders to engage in informed and inclusive trade and investment policy and regulatory reforms; and (c) support domestic trade and investment policy reforms through technical studies/analyses and related advisory support to facilitate implementation of reforms, including undertaking legislative/regulatory reforms.</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.<!--[if !supportAnnotations]--><a href="#_msocom_1" language="JavaScript" name="_msoanchor_1"></a><a href="#_msocom_2" language="JavaScript" name="_msoanchor_2"></a><!--[endif]--></p><!--[if !supportAnnotations]--><!--[endif]--><!--[if !supportAnnotations]--><!--[endif]--><!--[if !supportAnnotations]--><!--[endif]--><a href="#_msoanchor_1"></a>
Small island developing states
ITC recognizes that small island developing states (SIDS) face an unique set of challenges, particularly their vulnerability to external shocks. ITC works with SIDS to improve their export performance through regional collaboration, focused sectoral programmes, institutional support and strengthening the private sector. We also assist these states to trade mainly agricultural products that are attractive to niche markets that demand products proven to be sustainable economically, socially and environmentally.
Least developed countries
We deliver customized solutions for least developed countries (LDCs), enabling them to increase their participation in the global economy and reach development goals through exports. We focus on creating access to digital technologies and capabilities in LDCs, where current internet penetration is at 27%, as this is increasingly critical to ensure opportunities are universally shared. We also assist LDCs in their bid for WTO membership, and support their implementation of WTO agreements.
Asia and the Pacific
The new Asia-Pacific Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) that came into force in January 2022 covers a third of the world economy and will eliminate 90% of tariffs among 15 East Asian and Pacific countries. The agreement will also reduce costs and improve policy cooperation for the benefit of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises which are the engine of most economies. ITC will focus on the ability of these enterprises to compete on sustainable and specialty goods and services.