ITC, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development partner to empower Mongolian women entrepreneurs

(Ulaanbaatar/Geneva) – The International Trade Centre (ITC) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) commit to deepening their partnership to economically empower women and connect them to markets, in Mongolia and beyond.

The two organizations signed a letter of intent on 26 June – on the sidelines of the World Export Development Forum (WEDF) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia – to boost the competitiveness of women-owned businesses.

The two organizations will explore the creation of joint products and services related to access to finance and impact investment, as well as project co-implementation.

‘Through our partnership, we’ll tackle one of the top challenges that women entrepreneurs face – lack of access to finance,’ said Pamela Coke-Hamilton, ITC Executive Director. ‘We’ll bring our complementary skills and services to the table to support women to trade in international markets.’

‘The cooperation will consolidate and accelerate our support to women-owned businesses,’ said Claudio Viezzoli, EBRD Managing Director, SME Finance and Development. ‘We will also co-create new services for women in business that fill a gap in the market.’

The signing comes ahead of the launch of the ITC SheTrades Mongolia Hub, to be hosted by the Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MNCCI), which EBRD has supported for years. The new Hub provides an opportunity for the two organizations to share best practices, integrate services, develop capacity building programmes and create institutional linkages, starting in Mongolia and potentially in other countries, as well.  

Through this partnership, there will be a joint training programme for women entrepreneurs in Mongolia on digital and technology solutions later this year, as part of the workplan of the SheTrades Mongolia Hub.
 

About the International Trade Centre - 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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Media contact

Susanna Pak
Senior Strategic Communications Officer
International Trade Centre
E: pak [at] intracen.org
T: +41 22 730 0651
M: +41 79 667 4660

Altjin Munkhbat
Project Officer (communications)
EBRD Mongolia
E: MunkhbaA [at] ebrd.com (MunkhbaA[at]ebrd[dot]com)