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international

of ways, as well. So I always had an interest in
making a difference for my country, my region
and more broadly, the world, in some way.

As for the second part of your question, on
priorities for us at ITC: All of our projects and
programmes contribute to the UN Sustainable
Development Goals. Everything we do is
designed to help small businesses in developing
countries to trade, so they can earn more, create
jobs and support socioeconomic development
of their countries. In short, we work to see big
changes through small businesses, through
trade-led development.

In line with the Sustainable Development
Goals, we at ITC have four high-ambition,
strategic pushes – what we call our “moonshots”
– which serve as an umbrella for our core work:
green, digital connectivity, gender and youth. the link between trade and climate change. Yet at In Viet Nam
At least 80% of our country-level assistance the last UN climate change conference, we saw
is in least developed countries, sub-Saharan trade on the climate agenda for the first time.
Africa, landlocked developing countries, small And there are environment/climate/plastics
island developing states, small and vulnerable discussions happening at the WTO. So the two
economies, and conflict-affected countries. worlds are coming together.
Let me focus on Africa in particular, where
we have a wide footprint: We have worked We need to see trade as part of the solution to
in all African countries and currently have climate change – in no small part driven by
interventions in 50 out of 55 African countries. small-scale producers and small businesses in
Our current portfolio of projects on the continent developing countries. Let me share an example
totals approximately $150 million. of regenerative agriculture in Ghana: We are
helping farmers to move away from clearing
I also want to mention that we’re celebrating our forests to grow cash crops. With partners like
th
60 anniversary this year. This year and every the Swiss chocolate brand Halba and Max
year, we’re working to create a world that is more Havelaar Fairtrade Switzerland, we are training
connected, sustainable and inclusive. I want farmers of the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative with
my legacy to be a world that is a better place to over 100,000 members (representing 10% of
live in than the one I grew up in, for my son’s cocoa farmers in the country) to improve the
generation and beyond. soil, increase biodiversity, inset carbon, and
diversify their food and income sources by
We are living in a period of many challenges. Is “intercropping” cocoa seedlings with trees, as
there one in particular that you see as the it takes three years for cocoa trees to come into
main one, and how is the ITC helping its fruit. This approach works because producers
Member States to overcome these challenges? are owning the process: Nearly 700 farmers (250
[Note: While ITC doesn’t have Member States of them women) have reforested more than 400
in the same way the UN Secretariat does, we hectares, capturing 75,000 tons of CO2. We can
are accountable to our beneficiary and donor track these figures because we work directly with
countries.] the farmers, buyers, carbon credit certifiers and
agroforestry experts involved. We are working
The major challenge, the defining issue of our with the Ghana Cocoa Board to integrate these
time, is climate change. This goes beyond any regenerative agroforestry practices across the
sector or country. The general public may not see country.

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