UNCTAD TRAINFORTRADE – Strengthening knowledge for sustainable economic development

The UNCTAD TRAINFORTRADE programme provides bespoke technical assistance to developing countries. The aim of the programme is to empower countries to participate in, and reap the benefits of, international trade in an equitable and sustainable manner. The programme has three goals:

1. Build sustainable networks of knowledge to enhance South-South cooperation and national ownership;
2. Promote digital solutions and innovative thinking to enhance capacities of international trade players;
3. Encourage development-oriented trade policy to reduce poverty and to promote transparency and good practices in trade.

TRAINFORTRADE contributes to the achievement of SDGsSustainable Development Goal concerning life below water (SDGSustainable Development Goal 14), industry innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), gender equality (SDG 5) and ending poverty in all forms (SDG 1). TRAINFORTRADE also contributes to SDG 17, most directly to SDG Target 17.9, by building the capacity of developing countries to support the implementation of sustainable development goals in trade. Furthermore, in addition to timely management of the goods received, ports must prepare for the coming effects of climate change: rising temperatures, rising waters and extreme weather events; they must also ensure the environmental sustainability of their practices as part of global value chains. TRAINFORTRADE also organises specialised workshops addressing climate change and the carbon market, thus contributing to SDG 13 also.

More than 11 000 participants from 2017 to 2021

Over the past five years, the programme has enhanced the capacities of 11 304 participants¹, completing, on average, eight full days of training. In total, between 2017 and 2021, participants received training equivalent to almost 94 000 full days, or 518 000 hours (see table 1).

TRAINFORTRADE trained 11 304 participants from 208 different countries during this 5-year period (see map 1). Asia and the Pacific, Africa, and Americas regions accounted for the bulk of this capacity development, with 43 per cent, 29 per cent and 19 per cent of all participants, respectively.

Focus on port management and international trade

During the last five years, TRAINFORTRADE has focused on three areas: (1) port management; (2) international e-commerceSale or purchase of goods or services, conducted over computer networks by methods specifically designed for the purpose of receiving or placing of orders; it can involve business-to-business (B2B) or a business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions -—
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—-.; and (3) international trade statistics. Port management supports port communities in implementing efficient and competitive port management services. The e-commerce training covers legal aspects of e-commerce, best practices and digital identity, while the statistics training pertains to the compilation and use of trade in servicesIn the international trade in services context, services are understood as the result of a production activity that changes the conditions of the consuming units or facilitates the exchange of products or financial assets -—
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—-. Following the balance-of-payments classification, trade in services refers to manufacturing services, repair services, transport, travel, construction, telecommunications, computer services, financial services, insurance, intellectual-property related and other business services, as well as personal and cultural services, and government services. statistics and merchandise trade statistics. Courses are currently offered in English, French and Spanish.

TRAINFORTRADE combines e-learning with face-to-face activities. This is a an environmentally friendly and cost-efficient method of delivering high-quality capacity building that offers considerable flexibility, making it a pragmatic approach for today’s busy world -—
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—-. Between 2017 and 2021, TRAINFORTRADE held a total of 117 TRAINFORTRADE courses and events, in either face-to-face, online or hybrid formats.

Overall, 44 per cent of all participants between 2017 and 2021 were female (table 2). The lower proportion of female participants is partly explained by the fact that some courses are aimed at sectors that are themselves male-dominated. This is especially true of, for instance, port management, an area with 32 per cent of female participation, which influences the overall ratio. In contrast, activities on e-commerce and trade statistics are well balanced, with the ratio at 49 per cent. Additionally, online courses seem to be better gender-balanced in terms of participation as compared to other type of activities, with an overall female proportion of 48 per cent.

Table 2 and the panels in figure 1 below show the most active programme area in terms of participation is trade statistics, which accounts for 57 per cent of all participants. This includes, for example, international merchandise trade statistics and statistics on international trade in services, courses that are jointly run by UNCTAD Statistics, UNSDUnited Nations Statistics Division, WTOWorld Trade Organization and TRAINFORTRADE, and begin with a six-week online course moderated by international experts. Until 2019, candidates who successfully completed the course and passed the online tests may have been invited to regional face-to-face workshops to further develop their knowledge. From 2020, the face-to-face component was replaced by webinars due to restrictions related to the COVID-19COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the strain of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 discovered in December 2019. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses which may cause illness in animals or humans. In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The most recently discovered coronavirus causes coronavirus disease COVID-19 -—
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—-. pandemicCommonly described by the WHO as ‘the worldwide spread of a new disease’, no strict definition is provided. In 2009, they set out the basic requirements for a pandemic: • New virus emerges in humans
• Minimal or no population immunity
• Causes serious illness; high morbidity/mortality
• Spreads easily from person to person
• Global outbreak of disease.
The US Centre for Disease Control uses a similar approach, but with a reduced set of criteria. It is very difficult to gauge whether the spread of a disease should be termed an outbreak, epidemic or pandemic. In other words, when to declare a pandemic isn’t a black and white decision -—
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In terms of training days, the area of port management accounts for 48 per cent of total training time. It is an intensive development programme designed to support ports to implement efficient and competitive port management services to increase trade flows and foster sustainable economic development. Recently it was enriched with a special course on building port resilience against pandemics.

Over 320 people trained and employed as trainers –promoting South- South cooperation

Training of trainers is an important component of the port management training programme. Between 2017 and 2021, 324 trainers were trained and employed as trainers. In most cases, these trainers were employed in their own countries. Out of these 324 trainers, 26 per cent were female (see table 3). The African region observed the largest number of trainers from the South, with these trainers largely serving West Africa. An essential element of this initiative is to develop trainers from the South for each of the three language networks (English, French, Spanish), who then go on to train others from the South, i.e., a trainer from one developing country trains trade practitioners in another developing country in a face-to-face or on-line setting. In doing so, TRAINFORTRADE makes an important, although indirect, contribution to South-South cooperation – an important ambition of SDG 17.

Capacity building entrenched in the results-based management

All TRAINFORTRADE activities follow the results-based management principle linked to average score and satisfaction rate. TRAINFORTRADE enjoys very high and stable levels of these indicators (see table 4). Between 2017 and 2021, 6 321 participants received certificates after having completed their courses and passed online exams (46 per cent female). The average score obtained by participants was 78 per cent. The satisfaction rate reported by participants was also very high, at 89 per cent.

Testimonials

For additional testimonials, see the TRAINFORTRADE testimonials -—
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Notes

1. As some persons participate in more than one course, the number of participants does not equal the number of individuals.

References

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