Helping SMEs Succeed in Digital Trade: Lessons from European & ASEAN Trade Promotion Organisations
UN International Trade Centre
Session 368
The session will examine how trade promotion organisations integrate digital innovation to rethink their organisational setup and their service portfolios to support SME participation in global trade.
Conducted in cooperation with Trade Promotion Europe (TPE), the pan-European association of Trade Promotion Organisations (TPOs), the session analyses practical programmes implemented by European and ASEAN TPOs that help SMEs access international online marketplaces, develop e-commerce export capabilities, and address regulatory, logistical, and payment-related barriers to digital trade.
The session builds on research undertaken by TPE and ITC to identify operational models and service delivery mechanisms that enable SMEs, particularly smaller firms with limited digital capacity, to participate more effectively in global digital markets with the support of TPOs.
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C7. ICT applications: benefits in all aspects of life — E-business
The session directly contributes to the World Summit on the Information Society Action Line C7 e-Business by demonstrating how trade promotion organisations are enabling SMEs to participate in the digital economy through e-commerce, digital trade and technology-enabled business support.
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Goal 8: Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all
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Goal 17: Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
The session contributes to United Nations SDG 8 by strengthening the capacity of SMEs to participate in digital trade and e-commerce, supporting inclusive economic growth, entrepreneurship, and job creation.
The session contributes to United Nations SDG 17 by promoting international cooperation and knowledge exchange between trade promotion organizations, institutions, and digital trade ecosystems across Europe and ASEAN.
- Objective 1: Close all digital divides and accelerate progress across the Sustainable Development Goals
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