AID FOR TRADE: MAINSTREAMING AID FOR TRADE — 9 OCTOBER 2014

Joint ITC-WTO workshop Aid for Trade and SME competitiveness

Fragmentation of trade into value chains has increased the trade exposure of SMEs - as importers and exporters of goods and services themselves, and as suppliers of other exporters and importers - opening new opportunities and offering fresh challenges. Some 95% of enterprises across the world are SMEs, accounting for 60-70% of private sector employment. In developing economies, SMEs are strongly linked to employment, poverty reduction, women's economic empowerment, and income distribution. Small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are integral to private sector development, particularly in LDCs, and an essential component of inclusive, sustainable development.

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> More on Aid for Trade

Participation at the Workshop is restricted to WTO Members and Observers only

The Workshop on Aid-for-Trade and SME Competitiveness is the first of a series of dedicated thematic events included in the Aid-for-Trade Work Programme 2014-2015 (WT/COMTD/AFT/W/51). The Workshop seeks to examine the constraints that SMEs face in engaging in international trade, notably those highlighted by SMEs in Least-Developed Countries (LDCs), and will discuss how Aid for Trade is addressing these obstacles.

Joint ITC-WTO Background Note.

Informal Report of the Workshop by the WTO Secretariat.

Agenda

10.00 – 10.15

PRESENTATION OF JOINT ITC-WTO STUDY ON AID FOR TRADE AND SME COMPETITIVENESS
  

  • Marion Jansen, Chief Economist, International Trade Centre
    > Presentation

Audio: PRESENTATION OF JOINT ITC-WTO STUDY ON AID FOR TRADE AND SME COMPETITIVENESS
  

10.15-11.30
 

SESSION 1:

SURVEYING THE COMPETITIVENESS CONSTRAINTS OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
  

 
   
  • Susan Stone, Senior Trade Policy Analyst, OECD Development Division, Trade and Agriculture Directorate
    > Presentation
  • Hang Tran, Coordinator, Enhanced Integrated Framework
    > Presentation
  • Dr. Selim Raihan, Professor, University of Dhaka
  • Discussion

     

Audio: Listen to Session 1 — SURVEYING THE COMPETITIVENESS CONSTRAINTS OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
  

 
  11.30 – 13.00  
  SESSION 2:

USING AID FOR TRADE TO IMPROVE THE COMPETITIVENESS OF SMES
  

 
   
  • Dick de Man, Deputy Managing Director, Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing countries (CBI),
    > Presentation
  • Fiorina Mugione, Chief, Entrepreneurship Section, UNCTAD
    > Presentation
  • Natascha Weisert, Division for Sustainable Economic Policy, Financial Sector, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
    > Presentation
  • Discussion

     

Audio: Listen to Session 2 — USING AID FOR TRADE TO IMPROVE THE COMPETITIVENESS OF SMES