Arancha Gonzalez

ITC works to help firms in poor countries become more competitive and overcome the barriers that are keeping their goods and services out of international markets. ”

International consumers can rest assured that their quinoa purchases have benefited some of Latin America's poorest people, together with their families. ”

It is no coincidence that in the wake of the Arab Spring, investment in youth-related initiatives, especially related to employment, has increased sharply. ”

Trade and investment promotion organizations are crucial partners in ITC's work to enable SMEs to internationalize. They sustain and multiply the impact of trade-related technical support and allow SMEs to function with confidence in any location. ”

Improving SME productivity translates into more and better paying jobs, distributed across less fortunate sections of the economy. ”

It makes perfect economic sense to integrate women in the economy in the developing world in order to catch up with advanced countries, thereby minimising socioeconomic costs as well. ”

Many African smallholder farmers did not share in the 'green revolution' productivity gains driven by modern seeds and techniques, irrigation, and greater fertilizer use in Asia and Latin America in the 1960s. ”

Our main aim globally is to connect more women to the economy because we know there is a specific market failure there: women are having more difficulty in business than men. ”

The big part of coffee production in many rural areas is in the hands of women. It's women who work in the fields. They harvest the coffee. They wash the coffee. They take the coffee to the market. But when the coffee gets to the market, it's the man who cashes in the money for the crop. ”

Gender-based job restrictions tend to be associated with wider wage gaps and lower employment rates for women. And where girls' future earning potential is limited, families may choose to send their brothers to school instead. ”