Page 74 - Bulletin, Vol.83 No.2, September 2024

THE ITC CELEBRATES ITS 60TH ANNIVERSARY

1
By Alain CHEVALIER and Bernard ANCEL (ITC retirees)

In the late 50's and early 60's, the GATT Contracting Parties and many United Nations
bodies became particularly concerned about the trade and development problems of
developing countries (DCs). The gap between their export earnings and their import bills
was widening dangerously.

Numerous discussions and recommendations were made by GATT working groups on
the need for developing countries to take action in the areas of market research,
product advertising, participation in international trade fairs, setting up trade
representatives abroad, compliance with international standards, management training,
etc. On 10 October 1962, the Brazilian delegate (with the support of India) proposed to
the GATT the creation of an International Trade Information Centre. This proposal
reflected, among other things, the fundamental need and the clear disadvantage of
developing countries vis-à-vis competing industrialised countries in collecting and
processing the information required for the development of their exports. The
Contracting Parties then accepted the need to create this centre with autonomous
status, under their general supervision.

2
A Group of Experts worked in February 1964 and proposed to the Contracting Parties
to establish "trade information and trade promotion advisory services, within the GATT",
with effective means. Their report was adopted on 19 March 1964. On 1 May 1964, the
Executive Secretary of GATT announced the establishment of the GATT International
Trade Centre (ITC) with the transfer of 3 professionals and 2 assistants. On 1st October
1964, the first Director of the Centre was recruited. Priority was then given to the
publication in English, French and Spanish of a quarterly information bulletin on
international trade, "International Trade Forum", from December 1964.

The first United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was held in
Geneva from March to June 1964. On 12 December 1967, following proposals from
UNCTAD and GATT, the UN General Assembly approved the establishment of a joint
UNCTAD/GATT International Trade Centre, the successor to GATT/ITC, with effect

1 Alain Chevalier: Graduate of the Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures (Paris) and Stanford
Graduate School of Business (USA); employed by the GATT from 1967 to 1969 and by the ITC from
1969 to 2000 (Market Research Officer, Head of the Training Section, Assistant to the Director of Product
and Market Development, Head of the International Supply Section); Advisor to the Vietnamese
Government from 2000 to 2019.

Bernard ANCEL: Graduate of the University of Strasbourg and the College of Europe (Bruges), Doctor of
Economics (Paris-Sorbonne); employed by the French Centre for Foreign Trade and the ITC from 1974 to
2004 (Economist, IT Services Promoter, Head of the Trade Information Section); consultant from 2004 to
2015.

2 This expert group was made up of representatives from Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Federal Republic
of Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the
United States.

72 AAFI-AFICS BULLETIN, Vol. 83 No. 2, 2024-09

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