Cuba, International Trade Centre expand partnership to build trade capacity of businesses

(Geneva/Havana) - The International Trade Centre (ITC) and Cuba will work together to enhance the capacities of Cuban enterprises, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to trade, in line with broader goals of promoting sustainable business practices and supporting diversification of export markets for the Caribbean Island.

The expanded partnership was marked by the signing of a memorandum of understanding by ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton and H.E. Ms. Déborah Rivas Saavedra, Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment (MINCEX), at ITC headquarters. It is the second agreement between ITC and Cuba, and the first to initiate concrete steps on capacity building and project development.

The parties will jointly design and fundraise for new projects on value chain development.

Cooperation will focus on providing technical assistance and training to enhance the export skills, sustainability and competitiveness of businesses along priority value chains.

The parties will also develop joint initiatives under the upcoming United Nations Cooperation Framework (2026-2030), covering areas such as trade and market intelligence, digitalization and e-learning, e-commerce, sustainability standards, and local development.

Through these efforts, ITC and MINCEX will build institutional and enterprise capacities to improve Cuba's participation in international trade.

This agreement builds on engagement during the first-ever Global SME Ministerial Meeting in Johannesburg in July, between ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton and the Cuban delegation led by Mercedes López Acea, president of the National Institute of Non-State Economic Actors, in Cuba.

A group of 60 countries, including Cuba, endorsed a Call to Action at the Ministerial to set out a roadmap of collaboration between countries on SME development.

Notes for the editor

Focal point: carlosfidel[at] mincex.gob.cu(carlosfidel[at]mincex[dot]gob[dot]cu)

About MINCEX - Governing body for foreign trade, foreign investment and international economic cooperation policies of the State and Government of Cuba

About the International Trade Centre - The International Trade Centre is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. ITC assists small and medium-sized enterprises in developing and transition economies to become more competitive in global markets, thereby contributing to sustainable economic development within the frameworks of the Aid-for-Trade agenda and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

For more information, visit https://www.intracen.org.

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Media contacts

MINCEX: Carlos Fidel

carlosfidel[at] mincex.gob.cu(carlosfidel[at]mincex[dot]gob[dot]cu)

ITC: Susanna Pak

pak[at] intracen.org(pak[at]intracen[dot]org)