One of the key goals of PTB’s International Cooperation Department is to strengthen trade in the partner countries and in the partner regions. It is especially important to us that free, fair and safe trade is supported. A prerequisite for a country to participate in world trade and to ensure consumer protection is that it complies with specific quality criteria.
One of the key goals of PTB’s International Cooperation Department is to strengthen trade in the partner countries and in the partner regions. It is especially important to us that free, fair and safe trade is supported. A prerequisite for a country to participate in world trade and to ensure consumer protection is that it complies with specific quality criteria.
To continually improve PTB’s methods and technical expertise and to promote trade in the partner countries even more effectively, we are constantly in contact with other development cooperation organizations. For example, we are in close connection with the work of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its Aid for Trade Initiative and the “Aid for Trade Global Review” (an annual WTO platform) strengthens the transfer of knowledge. At the meetings, advancements in the field of trade-promoting measures in developing and emerging countries are evaluated and support strategies are shared.
In 2019, the “Aid for Trade Global Review” will take place under the motto “Supporting Economic Diversification and Empowerment”. PTB will host a side event on the topic “No Quality, No Trade”.
At 5:30 p.m. on 4 July we will discuss in panel to what extent quality is of interest for export, which challenges this presents and which role the organizations which support small and medium-sized enterprises can play in developing and emerging countries in their quest to surmount these challenges. The panelists of the PTB side event are:
- Daniela Zehentner-Capell, Head of the Division “Trade related Development Cooperation” at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
- Maha Saleh, Executive Director of The Engineering Export Council of Egypt (EEC)
- Peggy Schulz, Deputy Head Countries and Markets, Manager Southern Africa, German-African Business Association
- Khemraj Ramful, Senior Advisor at the International Trade Center (ITC)
The panel will be hosted by Ms. Catherine Masinde, Practical Manager of the East Africa Region in “Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment Global Practice” of the World Bank group.
Additionally, Ms. Svenja Weyrauch, a project coordinator of PTB, will present a method for strengthening the knowledge of trade-promoting institutions about the importance of quality infrastructure (QI). This method has been jointly developed with the International Trade Center (ITC) and is called “Expert Quality Management” (EQM).
About EQM: It is often challenging – especially for small and medium-sized enterprises in developing and emerging countries – to manufacture products according to the relevant standards and technical regulations. This is where EQM takes action: PTB, in cooperation with ITC associations and other support organizations for enterprises, empowers its members to supply themselves with the information which is required for market entry. In doing so, a wider mass of enterprises receive support from experts from the supporting organizations to achieve market access. The content of the EQM seminars is sector-specific and is updated regularly. Further information is available at: www.ptb.de/cms/eqm
