Partnerships
Join us! We work with funders and partners as well as with the greater UN family to secure the contributions that are indispensable to delivering tangible results around the world
We engage with funders around the world that have actively supported our operations through customized engagement strategies. We are also exploring options for cooperation with new funders interested in supporting our work.
Our aim is to create a more inclusive, sustainable and prosperous future. You can read an in-depth overview of our achievements and financials in our Annual Reports.
We have strong relations with the UN family and work closely with the World Trade Organization (WTO). All of ITC’s products and services contribute to the WTO-led Aid for Trade Initiative, and we actively support the implementation of WTO agreements in developing and least developed countries.
ITC is also an active participant and integral member of the UN development system. At the headquarters level, we work with other members of the UN Sustainable Development Group to take forward the systems and processes that strengthen UN reform. All resource mobilization efforts are consistent with ITC’s core mandate and the priorities laid out in ITC’s Strategic Plan 2022–2025.
We are seeking to sustain and grow financial contributions from additional public and private sector partners, including governments, bilateral and multilateral partners, UN joint programmes and pooled funds, foundations and businesses, and through innovative in-kind contribution arrangements.
We are partnering for purpose, based on complementary expertise and common value propositions. We value partners who can deliver on our shared objectives of making micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in developing countries more competitive.
Our partners play a crucial role in driving our impact and ensuring the sustainability of our development outcomes on the ground. Explore more about our partnerships below.
We work closely with multinational corporations, international buyers, finance providers and national private sector organizations to provide knowledge, technical expertise and resources to ITC-supported MSMEs. Our private sector partners leverage their unique strengths for the benefit of ITC’s programme clients and to advance their corporate social responsibility. ITC also works with key networks of corporate partners to enhance the sustainability of their supply chains.
Together with governments, ITC raises the profile of small businesses in policy discussions, helps countries set agendas that prioritize strengthening small business and their immediate environments, and mobilizes resources to achieve more inclusive and sustainable trade.
Non-governmental organizations and philanthropic foundations provide ITC with staff, resources, and services in line with their unique expertise to advance a common agenda. Often this implies working on developing tools, services, and products that assist a particular subset of ITC’s clients, for example, women entrepreneurs.
As part of the United Nations (UN) system and the World Trade Organization (WTO), ITC works closely with other funds, programmes and specialized agencies to improve the UN development system and help countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Where possible, ITC jointly implements programmes with partners to harness complementary strengths and capabilities.
Partnerships with academia, training and research institutions, such as think tanks, stimulate ideas and enable better data gathering to solve trade and development challenges. ITC partners with institutions to help build training and research services adapted to local needs and to enrich ITC’s global public goods.
By working with business support organizations, we ensure the sustainability of our impact and the transfer of know-how on the ground. Project functions which can be decentralized to the field are delivered locally through reliable and proven implementing partners including chambers of commerce, trade promotion agencies, start-up incubators, technology hubs, women business networks, and industry associations.
Regional organizations capture commonalities among neighbouring countries when it comes to trade challenges. ITC supports Regional Economic Communities to build intraregional trade and drive regional integration.
Through our snapshots, Partnerships4Purpose highlights collaborations with a wide range of partners that bring impact to the entrepreneurs we serve in country.
Our partners engage with ITC by:
- becoming market partners and buyers for ITC-supported MSMEs
- providing knowledge and expertise to ITC’s programme clients
- providing staff to ITC
- developing tools, services, and products that assist MSMEs
- supporting access to finance for ITC-supported MSMEs
- jointly advocating for sustainable and inclusive trade via events and panels
- funding ITC-managed projects
- implementing joint projects to strengthen MSMEs
Our partners support ITC by making trade more inclusive by empowering women, youth and people in vulnerable situations, enhancing the environmental sustainability and resilience of value chains, enabling micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to benefit from digital opportunities including e-commerce, and enhancing regional economic integration.
In turn, ITC offers deep expertise in trade-related technical assistance and project management, a global network for MSMEs, business support organizations and trade-related institutions, the agility of a nimble international organization, as well as trust and integrity.
Encourage your organization to join ITC, the point of entry to connect you with our experts at ITC headquarters and our staff around the world.
