Award winners of Small Business Champions 2024 competition announced
The World Trade Organization’s Informal Working Group on Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs), the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), together with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) are proud to present the award winners of this year’s Small Business Champions competition:
Winners
- O’KANATA, Canada
- CLAC - The Latin American and Caribbean Network of Fairtrade Small Producers and Workers
At the award ceremony today on Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise (MSME) Day at the WTO, H.E. Ambassador Matthew Wilson, Coordinator of the WTO Informal Working Group on MSMEs, together with WTO Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton, ICC Secretary-General John Denton, and WIPO Director General Daren Tang acknowledged the two winners, discussed the importance of including Indigenous communities in trade, and offered the winners the possibilities to pitch their winning projects to a live and online audience.
The innovative projects brought forth by the winners will not only raise awareness of the difficulties Indigenous Peoples are facing when trying to enter international markets but will promote best practices and economic opportunities, thereby creating jobs for these marginalized communities.
About the competition
International trade can lead to innovation for businesses of every size and there is growing national and international effort to support trade by Indigenous Peoples.
Indigenous Peoples are present in more than 90 economies, represent 5,000 cultures and speak 40% of the world's 7,000 languages. They "own, occupy, or use a quarter of the world’s surface area", conserving 80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity according to the World Bank.
However, recognition of the rights and interests of indigenous peoples is often insecure, sometimes leading to conflict, environmental degradation, and weak economic and social development. Additionally, although Indigenous Peoples make up around 6% of the global population, they represent about 19% of the extreme poor.
International trade can help provide economic opportunity to some disproportionately marginalized Indigenous Peoples as well as bring awareness about these unique cultures to all people around the world.
About the winners
O'KANATA
Located in Winnipeg, Canada, O'KANATA is an organization that empowers Indigenous youth in Canada. O'KANATA's proposal is the Indigenous Artisan Trade Gateway, an e-commerce platform and global marketplace for Indigenous crafts. Combined with training and networking opportunities, the Indigenous Artisan Trade Gateway seeks to improve the economic opportunities for young artisans across Manitoba, Canada through entering international markets and building their entrepreneurial capacity. By promoting indigenous cultures and craftsmanship, O'KANATA also hopes to increase global awareness and appreciation of Indigenous traditions.
CLAC - Coordinadora Latinoamericana de Comercio justo
Based in San Salvador, El Salvador, CLAC is a network that represents 1,000 Fairtrade certified organizations in 24 economies in Latin America and the Caribbean. CLAC's proposed project titled “Support for Access to International Markets, Generation of Opportunities for Entrepreneurship, and Productive Chains for Small Producers of Indigenous Peoples in Latin America (AOELA)” will:
• Survey existing product offerings in Latin America that can benefit Indigenous producers.
• Provide training and technical advice to develop these producers' competencies.
• Identify markets and companies with a corporate social responsibility interest in supporting Indigenous Peoples in Latin America.
• Create a catalogue of offerings and contacts.
• Organize a virtual business roundtable with interested parties.
In short, CLAC's AOELA initiative seeks to develop the competencies of small Indigenous producers and increase their sales through understanding of product offerings, demand and an annual networking roundtable.
