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- Volume 2017, Issue 4, 2017
International Trade Forum - Volume 2017, Issue 4, 2017
Volume 2017, Issue 4, 2017
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Reaping and sharing the benefits of global trade
Author: Arancha GonzálezRecent years have a seen a strengthening of the headwinds facing trade. This is a bit of a paradox since never before in history have so many people across the world been able to reap the benefits of global trade.
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Himalayan paper tales
Author: Jarle HetlandIn October 2017, Nepal launched four National Sector Export Strategies – covering the coffee, handmade paper and paper products, large cardamom, and tea sectors – developed in partnership with the International Trade Centre and aimed at boosting export capacities and ensuring more value addition in the country.
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Five ways that policy could close the gender gap in entrepreneurship
Author: David HalabiskyA new report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Commission – ‘The Missing Entrepreneurs 2017 – Policies for Inclusive Entrepreneurship’ – shows that in 2016 men were an average 1.7 times more likely to be self-employed than women. Among OECD countries this gap ranged from 1.1 times in Mexico and Chile to 3.1 times in Ireland. Similarly, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor – an international household survey on entrepreneurship – estimates that men are 1.6 times more likely to be new business owners.
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How China’s first ‘silk road’ slowly came to life – on the water
Author: DAVID ABULAFIAFew images are more enduring in the historical imagination than a train of two-humped Bactrian camels plodding across desert sands from west to east, or vice versa, across the vast open spaces of Eurasia. Now that China is edging towards a modern incarnation of the ‘Silk Road’, it is worth remembering how this emblem of the ancient world actually came into being.
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Regional integration creates opportunities for SMEs and women
Author: ISABELLE DURANTEvery Monday and Tuesday buyers and sellers gather at the Mombasa Tea Auction, the largest in Africa. In an average week, buyers representing around 50 consuming countries bid on teas from nations including Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. According to etiquette at the auction, buyers say ‘yes, sir’ to bid on a lot and ‘knock it, sir’ when their bid is highest.
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Democratizing trade, breaking down barriers with digital technology
Authors: Joakim Reiter and SHAMEEL JOOSUBMicro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) play a critical role in economic development and job creation for all countries. This is particularly the case in developing countries, where they are estimated to contribute up to 60% of total formal employment and up to 40% of national incomei. These numbers increase significantly if you also take into account the informal sector.
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Reshaping the traditional marriage between technology and agriculture
Author: MICHAEL OCANSEYWalking away from a failed e-commerce startup, my business partner Francis Obirikorang and I decided to try building a solution for agriculture, primarily because it was gaining a lot of investor attention at the time. In December 2015 we packed our bags and made a trip to northern Ghana. Over a period of two weeks we lived among smallholders to understand what their pain points were. It was an awesome experience that left us both awestruck and disheartened.
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Making markets work for home-based workers in Nepal
Author: KALASH R SHAKYAHome-based workers (HBWs) are vital to Nepal’s economy, comprising about one-third of its non-agricultural labour force. The contributions they make to the country’s economy cannot be discounted because they are in the informal sector. By producing products that are mostly exported, they contribute directly to GDP and to the preservation of cultural heritage.
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Enhancing the cotton value chain for the ‘Cotton Four’
Authors: AISSATOU DIALLO, LAETITIA YONLI and CHEICK OMAR CAMARACotton is one of the world’s most actively traded commodities. It is also a product of vital importance to the economic development and poverty reduction strategies for a number of developing economies, and particularly the least developed among them.
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Tackling harmful fisheries subsidies for a sustainable future
Authors: SOFIA ALICIA BALIÑO and Alice TippingTrade ministers will soon be arriving in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for four days of intense negotiations aimed at endorsing a series of concrete deliverables and establishing the course of future World Trade Organization (WTO) work. A key question heading into the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference will be whether the organization’s members can clinch a long-awaited deal to ban harmful fisheries subsidies.
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E-commerce for ecosystems
Author: ÁLVARO CEDEÑO MOLINARIPerhaps the most critical problem humanity faces today is climate change, given its profound long-term ramifications. Governments and the private sector should put all hands on deck to design tomorrow’s solutions to this grave problem. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development contains 17 Sustainable Development Goals that, if attained by all countries – big and small, rich and poor – will make all of humanity better off by allowing us to thrive within the natural limits of planet Earth.
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A one-stop shop for better global trade
Authors: MATHIEU LORIDAN and SAMIDH SHRESTHAInternational trade is an important means to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Trade can and should play a crucial role in realizing these goals, which include ending extreme poverty and promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth. Proper design and implementation of trade rules is vital to attaining these goals. While most trade agreements have focused on the liberalization and facilitation of trade, many countries are still struggling to integrate themselves into international value chains.
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Unleashing export potential through data
Author: ANNA JANKOWSKA-ERIKSSONTechnology, globalization and global value chains are creating countless opportunities for export growth every day. Nevertheless, the task of assessing and comparing such opportunities can be daunting, complex and costly for businesses, policymakers and negotiators working to maximize gains from connecting to the global marketplace.
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A gateway to sustainable consumption, production and trade
Author: GREGORY SAMPSONAt the end of a winding dirt road in the remote Ilam district of Nepal lives Sumit Shrestha, a young entrepreneur likely to inherit his father’s tea farm. With multiple tea producers in the region, the Shrestha farm has differentiated itself from others in the region by becoming the first Nepali tea producers to comply with the Rainforest Alliance sustainability standard.
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