Welcome to UNIDO’s TCB Programme!

In the course of providing support to the industrial development of developing countries and economies in transition, UNIDO has acquired some 40 years of global experience on building trade capacity...

...through industrial upgrading and development of national/regional infrastructure for standardization, metrology, testing and quality (MSTQ).

To respond better to the increasing needs in this area and to streamline its ongoing trade-related assistance activities especially in the field of quality infrastructure and conformity, UNIDO established a new Trade Capacity Building branch in early 2006.

Today, our TCB programme is increasingly being recognized as a good model for the implementation of the Aid for Trade initiative. UNIDO has also been building stronger ties with the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) and is being acknowledged as a potential implementing partner. In addition, UNIDO serves as an observer at the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) whose aim is to assist developing countries enhance their expertise and capacity to analyze and to implement international sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards and to act as a vehicle for co-ordination among technical co-operation providers.

UNIDO works to unleash the potential of developing country productive sectors that have high export prospects, such as the agro-manufacturing industries, to upgrade product and production quality and assists enterprises to comply with standards and regulations so that they can export successfully. We also assist countries that have recently acceded to WTO, or are in the accession process, to develop the standards and conformity assessment infrastructure to fulfill the requirements and obligations under the WTO Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and SPS Agreements as well as for international and private standards.

UNIDO’s Trade Capacity Building strategy is effectively integrated through all the activities of the Organization and goes beyond the mandate of a single branch. UNIDO offers assistance in the form of mutually supportive services including promotion of investment and technology management, road-mapping and foresight, cleaner production, cluster development, and export consortia.

We trust you will find the TCB pages both useful and interesting. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have comments or suggestions. You may also wish to draw our attention to upcoming events or publications of interest.

Lalith Goonatilake
Director
Trade Capacity Building Branch