World Trade Centers Association Introduces the Global Trade Helpdesk to World Trade Centers and Affiliated Business Members

Initial virtual training sessions brought together nearly 150 attendees from World Trade Centers around the world

NEW YORK,March 3,2021 -- The World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) — an international trade organization connecting more than 320 World Trade Centers (WTCs) in 92 countries — has introduced its member World Trade Centers — as well as their business members,tenants and clients — to the Global Trade Helpdesk (GTH).

"The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD),the International Trade Centre (ITC) and World Trade Organization (WTO) developed the GTH to simplify market research for companies – especially Micro,Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) – by integrating trade and business information into a single,user-friendly platform," stated Samuel Munyaneza,Senior Statistician of UNCTAD.

The WTCA hosted initial virtual training sessions in English and Spanish for its members over the span of three days from February 16 to 18,where nearly 150 attendees from World Trade Centers around the world participated in a demonstration of the complimentary online tool.

"On behalf of the WTCA,we are proud to offer our member WTCs and their MSME business networks with access to this new tool to make their market research more efficient," stated Robin van Puyenbroeck,Executive Director-Business Development of the WTCA. "This tool aims to provide an integrated solution that puts a wealth of global trade information at the fingertips of entrepreneurs around the world."

The online tool allows users to compare demand for products across markets,explore tariffs and other market access conditions,access details about buyers and navigate domestic export processes. Most importantly,it is complimentary,timely and relevant in today's climate due to its ability to quickly find business partners to connect with around the world.

"We are delighted by the amount of positive feedback we have received from the WTCA's members," stated Anna Jankowska-Ericksson,Market Analyst in the Trade and Market Intelligence Section of the ITC. "The GTH was born from the idea that access to trade and market intelligence is critical to export success. We saw a lack of resources at the MSME level and created a simple tool to address prevalent information asymmetries hindering their competitiveness. We look forward to future collaboration efforts with the WTCA to help empower MSMEs to become active exporters and successfully navigate global trade."

"We are focused on expanding this partnership and are planning targeted webinars for our member WTCs and their MSME business networks to share experiences and success stories resulting from the use of this new tool," added van Puyenbroeck. "Not only will this help support MSMEs affiliated with our member WTCs,but it will also enhance our global network's position as facilitators of global trade."

MEDIA CONTACT:

World Trade Centers Association (WTCA)

Chanelle Kasik

Phone: +1 212 432 2644

Email: ckasik@wtca.org

About World Trade Centers Association (WTCA)

The World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) is a network of more than 320 highly connected,mutually supporting businesses and organizations in 92 countries. As the owner of the "World Trade Center" and "WTC" trademarks,the WTCA licenses exclusive rights to these brands for Members to use in conjunction with their independently-owned,iconic properties,facilities and trade services offerings. Through a robust portfolio of events,programming and resources that it offers its Members,the goal of the WTCA is to help local economies thrive by encouraging and facilitating trade and investment across the globe through Member engagement. To learn more,visit www.wtca.org.

About the Global Trade Helpdesk (GTH)

The Global Trade Helpdesk (GTH) is a multi-agency initiative led by the International Trade Centre (ITC),United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and World Trade Organization (WTO) that integrates existing data and services from 11 partner organizations into a single online portal for small businesses. To learn more,visit globaltradehelpdesk.org.