DHL Express partners with the International Trade Centre (ITC) to help women-led e-commerce businesses in Central America drive international sales

(Geneva/Panama)  DHL Express, the world's leading express service provider, announced today a new partnership with the International Trade Centre (ITC) to help Central American e-commerce businesses deliver eco-friendly handicrafts to global customers through international shipping.

The international logistics company will offer its expertise to support the 200 e-commerce businesses currently enrolled in ITC's project Linking Central American Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) with the Global Gifts and Home Decoration Market, providing logistics training support and preferential shipping rates on international orders.

'We're proud of this partnership because it has been our goal to help small and medium business owners expand and deliver their products to the world,' said Joakim Thrane, CEO for DHL Express Central and South America. 'We hope that this program helps enhance the export competitiveness of Central American Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) with the guidance, logistics services and special rates that we as a global logistics company can provide to help them sell their products online to other markets like EU and the USA'.

The ITC project is funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by ITC in collaboration with the Secretariat for Central American Economic Integration (SIECA) and national implementing partners in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.

Project beneficiaries in Central America typically find themselves uncompetitive in international markets, unable to provide reliable shipping at affordable rates. The partnership with DHL Express will open the potential to compete in online marketplaces and develop an international clientele.

Nicteel Ceramics founder Elena San Martin, currently enrolled in ITC's project for e-commerce businesses in Central America, has said of the partnership'. This was a great experience. Thanks to this partnership, I was able to reduce my shipping time from 3 to 4 weeks to 3 to 4 days, without changing my pricing. DHL's preferential shipping rates have also allowed me to offer free shipping to my customers, and we have since sent several products to Houston, Texas, which was previously an issue due to shipping. With ITC's support, I can now send customers my products quickly and securely!'

ITC's acting Executive Director Dorothy Tembo referred to this as 'a timely and necessary partnership' saying 'the agreement with DHL 'will help hundreds of women-led businesses to flourish internationally, without the usual restrictions imposed upon their business due to their economy or geography. With this partnership, we hope to drive eco-friendly entrepreneurship not only in the Central American region, but also internationally'.

DHL experts are also supporting ITC with training coaches of six local partner institutions on international logistics and customs processes. During a half-day online training, the coaches will learn about how to ship products from Central America to the European and US markets and how to comply with customs and trade regulations. These coaches will then pass on the knowledge to the women-led businesses.

Visit the ITC website and the ecomConnect platform to find out more about the project.

Notes for the editor

About DHL - The logistics company for the world. DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry. Our DHL divisions offer an unrivalled portfolio of logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfillment solutions, international express, road, air and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management. With about 380,000 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, DHL connects people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global sustainable trade flows. With specialized solutions for growth markets and industries including technology, life sciences and healthcare, engineering, manufacturing and energy, auto-mobility and retail, DHL is decisively positioned as 'The logistics company for the world'.

DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of more than 63 billion euros in 2019. With sustainable business practices and a commitment to society and the environment, the Group makes a positive contribution to the world. Deutsche Post DHL Group aims to achieve zero-emissions logistics by 2050.

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About ITC - The International Trade Centre is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. ITC assists small and medium-sized enterprises in developing and transition economies to become more competitive in global markets, thereby contributing to sustainable economic development within the frameworks of the Aid-for-Trade agenda and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

For more information, visit www.intracen.org.

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