The Chinese edition of the Global Trade Helpdesk was created in collaboration with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Commercial Sub-Council and the Chinese Electronic Chamber of Commerce in July 2024. Furthermore, the platform and its associated training programs are being integrated into the strategic development plan for the "Characteristic Industrial Belt Trade Development and Standard Cooperation (Binzhou) Innovation Base," which is currently under proposal. CCPIT.
|
|
|
Trainings across Chinese provinces have begun on the platform. On August 17th, an online webinar about the Helpdesk was held for university professors and researchers in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province.
Support for the platform is growing with continued outreach efforts. On September 14th, the Helpdesk was highlighted as a key platform at the 8th China Forum on Standardization of Trade in Services, a side event of the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services. It was presented as a crucial portal for bridging trade information gaps as part of the "Trade Development and Standards Cooperation Initiative" launched by the CCPIT Commercial Sub-Council.
In addition, ICC Indonesia has been actively training Indonesian firms on the Global Trade Helpdesk in Bahasa Indonesia as part of the BCA Bank Go Export Program working with businesses in Surabaya, Malang and Bandung. Global Trade Helpdesk has also been featured in webinars for firms across West Africa. |
|
|
| Discover the Chinese edition of the Global Trade Helpdesk |
|
|
|
|
MARKET ACCESS, RULES AND REGULATIONS Supporting Timor-Leste's full membership of ASEAN |
|
|
The Trade and Investment Policy Unit, working together with the Market Access, Rules, and Regulations (MAR) Unit of ITC and building on the latter's extensive expertise in the analysis of trade agreements, is providing comprehensive support to the government of Timor-Leste in developing its Initial Market Access Offer (IMAO) under the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA). The assistance includes preparing schedules for different scenarios in line with the ATIGA modalities, trainings, and technical and statistical analysis of different policy options. The IMAO is on track for completion in October 2024.
BACKGROUND Since 2016, the ITC’s MAR Unit has conducted comprehensive surveys and in-depth analyses of the concessions on trade in goods under 530+ trade agreements (FTAs) currently in force worldwide. This includes the 68 FTAs in which ASEAN Member States are involved, such as ATIGA, ASEAN+, RCEP, and CP-TPP.
The MAR unit is responsible for maintaining the Market Access Map and Rules of Origin Facilitator, which provide users with digitised, structured, and analytical information on general/MFN and preferential tariffs, trade agreements, rules of origin, and other market access rules and regulations are available in user-friendly and streamlined interfaces. |
|
|
World Tariff Profiles 2024 |
|
|
Jointly published by ITC, WTO and UNCTAD, this annual report presents tariff-based market access conditions for goods applied by more than 170 countries and customs territories. The report contains aggregated product statistics, tariffs imposed and faced by each economy and an overview of non-tariff measures. The special topic of this year's edition explores tariff conditions for critical minerals essential for the electric vehicle (EV) value chain. It examines, in particular, the tariffs charged on cobalt, graphite and lithium, which are crucial for producing EV batteries and other renewable energy technologies. The analysis finds that tariffs on raw materials are generally lower than those on processed materials, which in turn are lower than on parts and components, with tariffs on final goods often being the highest of all. This tariff escalation has been a factor in preventing many developing economies from moving into higher-value processed products. ITC’s Market Access Map database is one of the main sources of the applied tariff data in the report. |
|
|
| Download the report |
|
|
TRADE & INVESTMENT FACILITATION MECHANISM II & EUROMED TRADE HELPDESK Euromed: Fostering regional trade development and empowering local experts (TIFM II) |
|
|
Reviewing achievements and planning future actions |
|
|
The 9th Annual Focal Point meeting was held online for Euromed Trade Helpdesk and TIFM II partners on 1st July. This meeting was an opportunity to discuss recent progress and next steps for the project.
In the meantime, the national certified trainers’ network continues to grow in Egypt and Lebanon. In Beirut, five new Euromed Trade Helpdesk-certified trainers have enhanced the network, while ten trainers have been certified in Cairo.
Between June and September 2024, the national trainers delivered workshops in Tunisia, Egypt, and Lebanon, and trained more than 180 participants on the use of the regional market analysis portal. |
|
|
| Visit the Euromed Trade Helpdesk |
|
|
|
AFRICAN TRADE OBSERVATORY Raising awareness on the African Trade Observatory through partnerships |
|
|
Raising awareness on existing tools and information remains the first step to supporting businesses and policymakers’ decision-making. In the last quarter, the African Trade Observatory (ATO) team has been actively engaging with its partners to increase awareness about the ATO's capabilities by organizing targeted webinars. In July, the Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PACCI), supported by the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU), organized two significant webinars for the private sector. These webinars brought together more than 90 Chambers of Commerce, business associations and businesses across Africa to learn using the ATO to identify promising markets and conduct in-depth market analysis, empowering businesses to utilize the ATO for growth and expansion across Africa. |
|
|
In August, the World Customs Organization - East and Southern Africa (WCO-ESA) organized a dedicated webinar on the use of the ATO for customs offices. This webinar, attended by 104 customs officials from 21 countries, emphasized the critical role that customs authorities play in managing and analyzing data to foster trade across Africa.
"Customs authorities are the gatekeepers of trade. Their ability to efficiently manage and analyze trade data is pivotal to the success of the African Trade Observatory and, by extension, to the realization of the African Continental Free Trade Area. Through collaboration, we can unlock the full potential of trade across Africa." Commented Mr. Mondher Mimouni, Director of the Division of Market Development at ITC, in his opening remarks together with Mr. Larry Liza, Director of the WCO ESA Regional Office for Capacity Building. |
|
|
|
|
WEST AFRICAN COMPETITIVENESS OBSERVATORY Launch of the WACOMP Business Matchmaking Platform and regional trainings |
|
|
In July 2024, we successfully launched the WACOMP Business Matchmaking Platform online, with 257 participants from 13 West African countries. The platform now hosts over 400 business profiles and institutions across West Africa, providing a valuable tool for fostering cross-border business opportunities in the region. We encourage more businesses in West Africa to join via b2b.wacomp-observatory.org. We also held a "Training of Trainers" workshop in Sierra Leone, where Trade Promotion Organizations from Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone were equipped with digital skills and taught how to onboard businesses onto the WACOMP Business matchmaking platform. Representatives from the ECOWAS Commission, the Delegation to the European Union in Sierra Leone, and National Investment Board, Sierra Leone, were also in attendance.
Additionally, a regional training in Banjul, The Gambia, focused on "Trade Competitiveness and Regional Value Chain Analysis." This 5-day event utilized the West African Competitiveness Observatory platform, which provides vital trade data and market insights to strengthen the competitiveness of West African countries. |
|
|
|
|
EASTERN PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE Filling gaps in trade in services statistics |
|
|
The trade in services component of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) project concluded with a regional workshop held in Warsaw, Poland, on June 24-25. This event served as a culmination of project activities, providing a platform for national data compilers from EaP countries to share progress and address ongoing challenges in data production for key sectors. It also offered a valuable opportunity for representatives from all five EaP beneficiary countries to connect, exchange expertise, and continue sharing best practices.
Over the two-day workshop, participants focused on trade in services surveys and explored alternative data sources, with particular attention to travel, construction, and transport services.
|
|
|
|
“ITC’s involvement and assessment of our data and processes are crucial. We plan to improve our methodology and cover new emerging types of services, and ITC’s assistance will be vital for our success. From methodological background to survey implementation, ITC’s assistance was very important and improved our statistical data capabilities." shared Mr. Irakli Apkhaidze, Deputy Executive Director of GEOSTAT. |
|
|
|
|
CAPACITY BUILDING ON GLOBAL PUBLIC GOODS TMI and ICC Argentina: "Herramientas de Inteligencia Comercial y Análisis de Mercado: Market Access Map and Trade Map" |
|
|
TMI’s Market Access, Rules, and Regulations team in collaboration with Camara Argentina de Comercio y Servicios (ICC Argentina) recently hosted a specialized training session on two of TMI’s leading market analysis tools: Market Access Map and Trade Map. Participants from both the private and public sectors in Argentina gained valuable insights into global trade dynamics and market access strategies.
|
|
|
ITC, U.S. Department of Commerce (CLDP), and the Republic of Moldova: "Capacity building programme in online trade and market intelligence tools for Moldovan government officials" |
|
|
ITC, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP), hosted a three-day intensive workshop to enhance the expertise of Moldovan government officials. The training featured a dedicated session on utilizing flagship ITC Tools for Moldovan officials to create effective strategies to promote trade. The group also explored recently developed business solutions, including the Eastern Partnership (EaP) Trade Helpdesk and the Global Trade Helpdesk. |
|
|
| Find out more about the workshop |
|
|
TMI and the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Trade and Industry: Capacity building series on trade and market intelligence |
|
|
TMI, in partnership with the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Trinidad and Tobago, is launching a series of capacity-building initiatives focused on trade and market intelligence between 2024 – 2026. The target participants include government officials and members of the private sector. These sessions will explore the effective use of TMI’s Market Analysis tools, supporting the country’s knowledge of trade and market intelligence and enhancing data availability for informed decision-making. |
|
|
SME Trade Academy Distance learning for trade analysis enthusiasts |
|
|
Trade Map and Market Access Map, respectively. Over 1000 participants have benefited from these online courses so far in 2024. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
ITC TOOLS UPDATES Trade Map data updates |
|
|
Global merchandise trade data
The data for Q2 2024 is now available for 66 countries, covering 83% of global trade in goods. Additionally, the Trade Map team has already released data for July 2024, which is available for 33 countries, representing 54% of global trade in goods. |
|
|
| Visit Trade Map |
|
|
Global Trade Indicators 2023 We are happy to share that the second update of the 2023 global trade indicators was released on July 30th. Eager to explore the latest trade trends? Look no further than Trade Map—your go-to resource for the most up-to-date insights. Dive into recent developments for any product or country of interest. The 2023 indicators now feature data from 144 countries (marked in blue on the map), including 25 newly published this quarter, covering over 91% of global goods trade. |
|
|
| See data availability for your country |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
© 2024 All Rights Reserved |
|
|
|
|
