International Trade Council

International Trade Council

Abbreviation	ITC
Formation	September 18, 1956; 67 years ago (1956-09-18)
Type	Nonprofit peak-body chamber of commerce
Focus	Promote international business expansion
Headquarters	Washington, D.C., U.S.
Coordinates	[ ⚑ ] : 38°54′14.6″N 77°02′17.7″W / 38.904056°N 77.03825°W / 38.904056; -77.03825
Region served	Worldwide
Membership (2021)	29,000
Chairman	Roland Adams
Staff	47
Website	tradecouncil.org

The International Trade Council (ITC) is a non-profit peak-body chamber of commerce, headquartered in Washington, D.C., with the focus of helping businesses expand internationally. Its membership network includes government trade and investment agencies and businesses, as well as 418 member chambers of commerce and industry organizations in 79 countries.^[1][2] The International Trade Council’s range of government agency members include Enterprise Estonia,^[3] Business Finland,^[4] Opportunities New Brunswick, and the Ukrainian Ministry of Economic Development and Trade.^[5]

Mission

The stated mission of the International Trade Council is:^[6]

• To provide government trade and investment agencies, industry bodies, business and entrepreneurs with the appropriate tools to support their economic development plans.
• To share information on trade-related opportunities, standards and regulations.
• To prioritize the development of human and economic resources within the jurisdictions of the Council’s constituents.
• To advance industry standards, regulation and public policies that ensure vibrant, just, and sustainable economies.

Projects

The Think Global Conference Project

The Think Global Conference was launched in 1982 as a platform to bring together a diverse group of business leaders under one roof. Executives are invited from multinational organizations through to startups and are paired into groups for mentoring and skill sharing. The 3-day event discusses topics ranging from international trade flows, technological advancements impacting international trade, legal challenges, foreign direct investment, free trade, supply chain and logistics, sales and marketing, privacy and security, and trade finance.^[7][8][9]

In 2021 the government trade and investment agencies of Armenia, Bhutan, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Guinea, Ireland, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, North Macedonia, Paraguay, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Turkey, the Canadian province of New Brunswick, the Spanish autonomous communities of Andalusia and the Basque Country, and the Colombian city of Barranquilla; participated as speakers on topics related to foreign direct investment.^[10][11][12]

Go Global Awards

In 2011 the International Trade Council launched an awards system under the title of the ‘Go Global Awards’. The stated purpose of the awards system is to “celebrate the organizations who drive the global economy forward through their innovations, technologies and strategies” . Between 20 and 30 winning organizations are selected in different categories each year, with a key focus on how they have overcome hurdles in their journey to export products or services internationally. Past winners have included Profile Products, Canaquest, Mane Kancor and AvTech.^{[13][14][15][16][17]}

Quality in Business Certification

In 2019 the International Trade Council launched its own Quality in Business Certification Program . Scores are given out in each area of business operations, with the opportunity for organizations to improve their scores with each future assessment. The program positions itself as a voluntary certification program for small to medium sized businesses to help them measure themselves against others and take on best international business practices. Scores are centrally managed, and participants are assessed on an annual basis. Assessments and certifications are undertaken at no cost to members of the International Trade Council. Some of the first certified organizations include Knight Electronics, Astrum and Allsea Technologies. 543 participating organizations were certified as of May 2021.^{[18][19][20][21]}

StartUp Summit

In 2020 the International Trade Council launched the StartUp Summit with the stated purpose of gathering successful founders, entrepreneurs, marketing directors, investors, business incubators and government trade agencies to share their stories in fireside chats and keynotes.^[22]

References

External links

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