Project profile — Export Development in the West Bank

• West Bank Gaza (100.00%)

• Trade policy and administrative management:
Trade policy and administrative management (33110) (50.00%)
Trade education/training (33181) (50.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (not targeted)
• Participatory development and good governance (not targeted)
• Trade development (principal objective)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)

The project aims to improve and expand upon the export development services offered by the Palestine Trade Center (PalTrade). By collaborating with the International Trade Center in the provision of technical assistance and training, the project helps meet the trade development needs of Palestinian businesses. In particular, the project supports PalTrade to identify and promote export opportunities and employment generation strategies, advance policy dialogue, and distribute vital trade information amongst businesses in the West Bank.

N/A

Results achieved as of March 2014 include: (1) following an institutional assessment of the Palestine Trade Center (PalTrade) and the development of a capacity-building plan, PalTrade changed its corporate structure, added a strategic planning function, improved information technology systems, and created a results-based management framework that integrates gender and environment considerations; (2) PalTrade staff received training on assessing trade agreements; (3) PalTrade is integrating environment and gender issues into its assessments of trade deals and is developing indicators to help assess them; (4) PalTrade improved its ability to provide standardized trade information at its offices and online; (5) 19 selected staff (including six women) were certified as export management development advisers to carry out enterprise diagnostics as well as environmental quality management; (6) PalTrade prepared for its first trade mission to Canada; and (7) PalTrade’s gender mainstreamed strategic plan was developed and resulted in extending PalTrade’s customer services and support to include women-owned businesses and cooperatives. These have contributed to improving the ability of PalTrade to respond to the service needs of exporting businesses and to support them in export development.

• Proactive disclosure