Unlocking Opportunities for SMEs: Insights from the Ready4Trade Central Asia Regional Curriculum Partner Meeting
On May 31, 2024, an online meeting of partners for the Ready4Trade Central Asia Cross-Border Management Curriculum, organized by the International Trade Centre (ITC), took place. The event brought together key project partners from four Central Asian countries who have been working for four years to promote the Cross-Border Management Curriculum as part of the Ready4Trade Central Asia project, implemented by ITC and funded by the European Union. This project aims to support trade development in the region, enhance transparency of cross-border requirements, and improve opportunities for e-commerce.
The Curriculum aims to strengthen the capacity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to comply with international standards and requirements. Esteve Morel, the Program Manager for the SME Trade Academy at ITC, presented the official results of the “Knowledge Marathon” regional competition, which ran from February 1 to April 1, 2024. He noted that “The regional online meeting not only focused on summarizing the partners’ latest successes within the Export and International Trade Training Program but also facilitated further dialogue among institutional partners, the exchange of best practices, and the promotion of knowledge sharing.”
In general, among the countries of Central Asia, Kazakhstan for the first time (in October 2023 for the academic environment) introduced the practice of holding online marathons on the rules of international trade and export, and since the beginning of 2024, similar events have already been held for business in the regions of Kazakhstan every week.
The Tashkent State University of Economics, the Kyrgyz Economic University, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan presented the results of the “Knowledge Marathon” competition, highlighting the high-level engagement of local entrepreneurs, lessons learned during the project implementation, as well as the main successes and challenges. QazTrade Academy showcased its best practices and ideas for promoting the national online training platform while presenting the digital promotional magazine about the curriculum to partners.
As stated by Augustin Baret, Associate Trade Facilitation Officer at ITC, “The Cross-Border Management Curriculum aims to strengthen the capacity of MSMEs to meet international cross-border requirements, as compliance with trade requirements is one of the success factors for businesses looking to engage in export. The International Trade Centre continues to support the private sector in Central Asia, facilitating its integration into global and regional value chains and the creation of new export flows.”
During the discussion, participants presented their strategy for the development of the training program, discussing opportunities, challenges, and next steps. At the end of the meeting, ITC representatives and partners summarized the event, expressing gratitude to all participants for their active involvement and contributions to the project’s development.