WORK WITH OTHER INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

ITC: 50 years of Trade Impact for Good
10-12 June 2014

The International Trade Centre (ITC) is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. To mark this occasion, ITC is hosting an afternoon of discussions at WTO headquarters on trends in trade development and trade-related technical assistance on 10 June, the eve of the annual meeting of ITC’s Joint Advisory Group (JAG).

See also:
> ITC website

The forum is open to delegates of member states and partners of ITC. The event is followed by the launch of ITC’s 50th anniversary publication, “50 years of Unlocking SME Competitiveness: Lessons for the Future”, which has benefited from contributions from policy makers and the business community. This event is open to members of the JAG, representatives of international and regional organizations, and private sector partners.

ITC is the joint agency of the WTO and the United Nations. It actively engages the private sector within the multilateral trading system. It is committed to building export success for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing and transition countries.

See more here.

 

Programme

Tuesday, 10 June ITC 50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

     

15:00 — 17:00

ITC 50 years of Trade Impact for Good: Where Next?

(Panel discussion) — WTO Room CR
Welcome remarks: Arancha González, Executive Director, ITC
Audio

Opening remarks: Michael Møller, Acting Director-General, UNOG
Audio

Keynote Address: H.E. Hanna Tetteh, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ghana
Audio

Panelists:

  • H.E. Khemmani Pholsena, Minister of Industry and Commerce, Lao People’s Democratic Republic
  • Daniel Godinho, Secretary of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Brazil
  • Kalilou Traoré, Commissioner for Industry and Private Sector Promotion, ECOWAS Commission
  • J.-Denis Bélisle, former Executive Director, ITC
  • Patricia Francis, former Executive Director, ITC

Moderator: Frédéric Lelièvre, Business and Finance Editor, Le Temps
Audio
 
 
 

17:00 — 18:00

Book launch: 50 years of unlocking SME competitiveness: lessons for the future — WTO Room CR

Opening remarks: Yonov Frederick Agah, Deputy Director-General, WTO
Audio

Keynote Address: Guillermo Fernández de Soto, Director for Europe, Development Bank of Latin America (CAF)
Audio

Introduction of the book by principal author: Bernard Hoekman, Director, Global Economics, European University Institute
Audio

Discussants:

  • Mark Gottfredson, Partner, Bain & Co.
    Audio
  • H.E. Ambassador Minelik Alemu Getahun, Permanent Mission of Ethiopia
    Audio

Concluding remarks
 Audio

  
   
   
 

 

Wednesday, 11 June 48th session of the JOINT ADVISORY GROUP,

DAY 2 — ROOM CR

The Joint Advisory Group (JAG) of the International Trade Centre, composed of the members of UNCTAD and WTO, meets annually to examine ITC’s programme of work based on its Annual Report, and makes recommendations to the UNCTAD Trade and Development Board and the WTO General Council to take appropriate steps for the provision of budgetary resources.

The JAG meeting is also open to United Nations specialized agencies and bodies, and other intergovernmental organizations with observer status, and non-governmental organizations with an interest in export development.

     

10:00 — 13:00

Opening Session

10:00 — 10:50

Opening remarks
 
 
 

10:50 — 11:15

Statement by the ITC Executive Director Arancha González
Audio

 

  
11:15 — 13:00 Discussion
Audio
 
 
 

15:00 — 18:00

Afternoon Session

  
15:00 — 15:45 Presentation of ITC Evaluation Report and Recommendations
15:45 — 16:30 TC Management Response
16:30 — 18:00 Discussion
 

 

Thursday, 12 June 48th session of the JOINT ADVISORY GROUP,

DAY 3 — ROOM CR

     

10:00 — 13:00

Discussion continued

13:00 — 15:30

Luncheon event at the Palais des Nations, E40, Room XVIII

High-level panel discussion “Power of Empowered Women 2014: an Interactive Dialogue on Women’s Empowerment and Economic Development”, organized by ”The Group of Women Ambassadors to the United Nations”.
 
 
 

15:30 — 17:30

Afternoon Session

  
 
 
   
15:30 — 16:30 Presentation and discussion of ITC’s Draft Strategic Plan 2015-2017
16:30 — 17:00 Announcement of contributions to the ITC Trust Fund
17:00 — 17:20 Chair report
17:20 — 17:30 Executive Director’s closing remarks
18:00 — 19:45

Ethical Fashion Show and Cocktail: “Cotton to Catwalk” in celebration of ITC@50 — WTO Atrium

A collection from Italian-Haitian designer Stella Jean will take centre stage at the WTO Atrium featuring outfits made of hand-woven cotton fabrics by women artisans from Burkina Faso. The accessories are made of hand-dyed fabrics from Mali with value-added production in Kenya. The design is happening in Ghana while the matching jewellery is crafted in Haiti.

The products and linkages created in the value chain of fashion among women from across Africa, Caribbean, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East are a testimony to ITC’s work on women’s economic empowerment.