BPW International

US SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON RECOGNIZES ITC'S WORK WITH WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

Date: 5 July 2012 10:27:14 PM AEST

United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has highlighted the International Trade Centre (ITC)'s global work in increasing governments' procurement from women-owned businesses.

In her speech at the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Women and the Economy Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia on 29 June, Secretary Clinton said, 'Today, I am announcing two new APEC initiatives to expand women's access to capital and markets. First, we want to help governments use their purchasing power to support women entrepreneurs and grow their economies. So we are working with the United Nations International Trade Centre to improve the ability of APEC governments to source from women-owned businesses.'

Ms. Clinton was referring to ITC's Women and Trade programme, which works with governments, the private sector and trade support institutions to bring greater economic benefit to women through increased participation in export trade.

Through this programme, ITC will host the second annual Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum on 6-7 November in Mexico City. Corporate executives, government representatives, women business owners and trade support institutions will meet for business development opportunities, networking and skill-building.

Sectors to be highlighted include: coffee; textiles and silver jewellery; clean technology; construction and mining; information technology; telecommunications and business process outsourcing; agribusiness.

ITC is the joint agency of WTO and the United Nations and is devoted to helping small and medium enterprises in developing countries become more competitive in global markets and thus to speed up sustainable economic development and contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

For more information on the Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum, visit www.intracen.org/womenandtrade or email womenandtrade@intracen.org.