International Trade Centre is a valued partner of the multilateral trading system: WTO Chief
In a speech to the International Trade Centre (ITC) Joint Advisory Group on June 26, 2015, Director-General of World Trade Organisation Roberto Azevêdo, said that the WTO shares with the ITC — and the UN Conference on Trade and Development — “the responsibility to ensure that trade continues to play its full role in the development agenda, and in continuing to improve the lives of people around the world, in a very concrete and practical manner”. He went on to add, since its creation, the ITC has been a very valued partner of the multilateral trading system and lauded its work to improve the institutional environment for prospective exporters in developing countries. SMEs — which are central to the work of the ITC — are an important source of employment. In fact, those companies employ more than 60% of the private sector workforce around the world. And when SMEs connect to global supply chains — this is an important phenomenon - the gains from trade often go to sectors of the economy that can be most marginalized. There are many such groups who do not, at present, feel the full benefits of trade, such as women, or the young, for example — or those in remote rural areas, or the workforce in the informal sector. It is therefore vital that the ITC's activities remain responsive to these challenges. And I am pleased to see that this is reflected in a positive way in the strategic plan of the ITC, the WTO Chief said. At the WTO, we do value the ITC's support in ensuring that the multilateral trading system is inclusive Azevedo concluded.
June 27, 2015 | 5:43 pm IST.
to success.