Trade

SOME RESULTS FROM THE UN-EU PARTNERSHIP IN 2009 THE AREA OF TRADE:

West Africa: To strengthen the competitiveness of companies towards conforming to international standards, the programme trained over 2,000 staff in 16 countries on normalisation, metrology, quality management, certification, analysis and inspection. 71 laboratories were assisted in the set-up of quality control systems.

In Haiti, the National Standards Body was established and made operational, and pilot enterprises of two sectors – fruit and textile/garment – were supported for quality improvement and compliance with international market standards.

In Cote d'Ivoire, to improve competitiveness and raise the income of cotton farmers, the classification of the Ivorian cotton fibre was supported.

In Cameroon, national capacities were assisted with the certification of industrial enterprises and accreditation of testing laboratories.

Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu plus Bhutan, Cape Verde, Comoros, Djibouti and Maldives were supported with diagnostic studies that help prioritize the trade development needs of the beneficiary countries.