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Legal and Regulatory Framework

Assistance under this category includes helping countries to bring their own regulations into conformity with international rules, more general help to improve their legal institutions, and training officials to deal with such rules. A number of the agencies specialise in par­ticular areas, rather than trying to provide expertise on the legal rules in all sectors. For several, the aim is to balance trade-related obli­gations with other national (or international) interests.

italy

italy

Summary of activities included in this category
Training projects in South Africa, Tunisia and Egypt
mexico

mexico

Summary of activities included in this category
The Programme for International Development Cooperation

Supply Capacity

In line with the trade focus of this Guide, support activities to develop supply capacity are considered to be those that aim to increase the availability of goods and services for export. There is no easy distinction between this and building more general capacity to pro­duce, and this distinction is becoming less pertinent as borders open and competition in local markets from imports increases. Some agencies do not make this distinction in their projects.

italy

italy

Summary of activities included in this category
Supply Capacity

Trade Policy Development

Agencies’ assistance to trade policy development is generally provided in four areas: design and implementation of trade policy; specific developing country issues in trade (such as commodity exports and preferences); support in trade negotiations; and assistance in man­aging the interactions between trade and other policies.

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mexico

Summary of activities included in this category
• Supporting multilateral, regional and bilateral trade negotiations

Trade promotion capacity building

This category includes both direct support to exporters and the building of institutions in-country which will provide such support. It is different from many of the other categories in its direct relationship to the private sector.

italy

italy

Summary of activities included in this category
Programme to counter irregular migration through the development of the private sector - Senegal
Improving the sustainability and inclusiveness of the Ethiopian coffee value chain through private and public partnership - Ethiopia
Technical assistance programme for the improvement of leather industry in Ethiopia – second phase - Ethiopia
Improving supply of safe and quality livestock and meat exported from Horn of Africa to the Middle East and Gulf countries- Ethiopia
UNIDO “From cotton seeds to clothing: enhancing the sustainability, inclusiveness and value addition of the cotton value chain in Egypt” (750’000 Euros)
CHIEAM “Master Plan for the Sustainable Development of the Lebanese Coast” (490’531 Euros)
CHIEAM “Strengthening and promotion of the quality olive oil sector in Lebanon - The oil of Lebanon III” (1’000’000 Euros)
UNIDO “Supporting the development of selected agro-food value chains” (500’000 Euros)
ILO “Improved and market-based provision of vocational training for Lebanese and refugees” (500’000 Euros)
Capacity building to the ODS (Office Dévéloppement Sud) for investment promotion, technological upgrading and trade capacity of South Tunisian SMEs – Tunisia
mexico

mexico

Summary of activities included in this category
Competitiveness and Innovation Program Mexico-European Union (PROCEI) (2012-2016)
European and Latin American Business Services and Innovation - ELAN Network (January 2017-January 2018)
Enterprise Europe Network– EEN (2011-2018)
Confederation of European Retired Experts (2016-2018)
Low Carbon Business Action in Mexico (2016-2018)
Trade Facilitation Office Canada (TFO) (2016-2017)

Trade Facilitation

This category covers the development, harmonization, and implementation of the rules and procedures which govern how goods cross borders.

mexico

mexico

Summary of activities included in this category
Triangular Cooperation Project on Trade Facilitation and Competitiveness (AMEXCID - USAID)
Enabling Trade: Unlocking the Potential of Mexico and Vietnam (WEF Report)
National Service of Foreign Trade Information (SNICE)
Activities carried out during 2015
Activities carried out during 2016
Activities carried out during 2017

E-commerce Services & Digital Economy

This category includes capacity building activities directed to development of e-commerce from the perspective of the physical and regulatory factors, for example reducing barriers to trade across distance via electronic marketplaces, development of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure, and regulatory frameworks. 

mexico

mexico

Summary of activities included in this category
eLAC2019 initiative
OECD Ministerial Meeting on Digital Economy
International events to share Mexican experience
International workshops to enhance Mexico´s capacities

Physical Trade Infrastructure

Like Supply Capacity, this is a category where the boundary between trade support and more general support to production or develop­ment is not clearly defined. Some agencies try to allocate spending on individual projects partially to trade and partially to other purposes; others focus on the principal purpose of a project or a type of activity.

italy

italy

Summary of activities included in this category
Physical Trade Infrastructure
mexico

mexico

Summary of activities included in this category
Infrastructure Fund for Mesoamerican and Caribbean Countries (Yucatan Fund)

Trade-Related Financial Services

Trade finance is one of the areas where exporters from developing countries are most disadvantaged compared to those from developed coun­tries because selling at a distance to purchasers who are not directly known within the country requires special skills and risk assessment from banks. Only when exports reach a sufficiently high level is it profitable for banks in a country to acquire these skills, so exporters, par­ticularly SMEs, are hampered by difficulty in accessing export finance. Therefore both the cost and the availability of appropriate finance are problems. Some agencies offer support to build national capacity, while others try to fill the gap until such capacity is available.

italy

italy

Summary of activities included in this category
Italian Assistance to the Agrarian Reform Community Development Support Program - The Philippines (26,2 million Euro, soft loan)
slovenia

slovenia

Summary of activities included in this category
Leveraging Private Flows for Development