Developing and transition economies, almost by definition, face
severe resource constraints when organizing trade development and
export promotion. Existing trade support programmes are likely to
lack funding, and financing isn't available to launch new ones. Key
institutions in the national trade support network are, in many
instances, technically weak but resources, financial and otherwise,
to improve capacities remain limited. Staff lack specialized
training but there are few opportunities to upgrade their
competency.
The scarcity of financial, programme-related, institutional and
personnel resources calls for priority-setting within the national
trade support network. But what types of support should be
emphasized? For which target audience? Delivered in which fashion?
By which organization? With which resources?
ITC is convinced that the best way to ensure effective resource
allocation within the national trade support network is through a
national export strategy. Indeed, ITC maintains that a strategy
which realistically assesses the national capacity to export, the
level of demand in the international marketplace and the resources
needed to consolidate the fit between the two is critical to
sustained improvement in national export performance.
Yet few developing and transition economies have invested in a
national export strategy. Of those countries that have, it has been
difficult to assess results.
Successful export strategies
In response to the shortage of documented models and networking
on what works, ITC's Executive Forum on National Export Strategies
provides a debating forum on national export strategy 'best
practices'. Each year some 25 'national strategy teams' from
developing and transition economies are invited to review ideas on
export strategy design and management, exchange opinions and
develop plans for strengthening the strategy development process
within their own countries. To ensure that the national strategy
process takes place within the framework of a public-private sector
partnership - which ITC believes to be the key to effective
strategy development - each national team participating in the
Executive Forum dialogue includes a senior government official and
a leading representative of the business sector.
New perspectives for a national
approach
The 2002 Executive Forum focused on 'Managing Competitive
Advantage'. ITC attempted to gather the ideas generated in previous
debates into a single best practice model which would highlight the
value of a national export strategy to the ultimate objective of
achieving international competi-tiveness.
Participants appraised national export strategy and related
management approaches from the perspectives of creating value,
capturing value, adding value, projecting value and confirming
value. It was not an easy task and led ITC, and the participating
national strategy teams, into new, and largely uncharted,
waters.
Participants explored competitiveness strategies through five
sub-themes emphasizing value: