Description
Developing countries pursue better socio-economic conditions. To enhance their competitiveness and grow in a sustained manner, they need a clear direction: a sense of what is to be achieved, and how. In other words, developing countries need strategy. Export strategies serve both as effective policy instruments and as action-oriented roadmaps, designed to boost export performance, stimulate growth and achieve development impact. This project aims at allowing ITC to support the design and implementation of national, sectorial and regional or functional (cross-sector topics) strategies, facilitated through public-private sector dialogue. This process mainstreams trade into national development plans and addresses social values such as poverty-reduction, gender equity, youth, employment, the environment and regional integration. This programme seeks to support the Export Strategy section/function at ITC by enabling the continued development of the necessary capacities and competencies. More specifically, this initiative aims at providing seed funding for country-specific work (which absorbs about 40% of total resources). The programme also sets out to refine and/or develop tools for the design and implementation of strategies and to build awareness among stakeholders on the export support needs and opportunities (respectively 25% and 20%of the total budget). Finally, approximately 15% of programme resources support the transition process from strategy design to implementation, which can serve as a springboard to position ITC for further in-country support. The programme constitutes the backbone of the Export Strategy Section Strategy 2013-2015, as reviewed by SMC on 30 January 2013.