by Andrea | Feb 9, 2016 | international trade rules, markets in Africa, Recent Trends in Trade, tools for importers
TPP – the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement was formally signed in New Zealand on February 4, 2016. TPP aims to create one regional market for goods and services from its member countries which all border the Pacific Ocean. It also establishes the rules by which the...
by Andrea | Jan 20, 2016 | international trade rules, Recent Trends in Trade, tools for importers, Trade and Development, world financial crisis
The Nairobi package adopted at the WTO 10th Ministerial Conference (December 15-19, 2015) contained the Nairobi Ministerial Declaration along with five Ministerial Decisions. The three Ministerial Decisions on Agriculture were discussed in our last post. This post...
by Andrea | Jan 6, 2016 | access to finance, CSME, international trade rules, Recent Trends in Trade, tools for importers, Trade and Development, world financial crisis
The World Trade Organization (WTO) 10th Ministerial Conference was held, for the first time in WTO history, in Africa – Nairobi, Kenya. Scheduled for December 15-18, 2015, extending discussions for a fifth day allowed the Ministers to reach consensus on the Nairobi...
by Andrea | Dec 16, 2015 | international trade rules, tools for importers, world financial crisis
The WTO 10th Ministerial Conference is underway, taking place from December 15-18, 2015. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Conference is the organization’s highest decision-making body and meets every two years. For the first time in its history, the...
by Andrea | Dec 12, 2015 | Uncategorized
Here is Part “K” of my series, “International Trade Alphabet Soup” that will periodically list and provide context for key acronyms and international trade terms: KFAED – Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development assists Arab and other developing countries in...
by Andrea | Dec 2, 2015 | CSME, small business financing
In recognition of the key role that small businesses play in the US economy, Black Friday – the big shopping day after U.S. Thanksgiving Day, is now followed by Shop Small Business Saturday. Sites like these, created for the special day, raise the visibility of small...
by Andrea | Nov 25, 2015 | access to finance, CSME, international trade rules, Recent Trends in Trade, small business financing, tools for importers, Trade and Development, world financial crisis
One of the sessions held at the 2015 WTO Public Forum pre-launched the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation. The Alliance is a public-private partnership being established to support successful implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement. The WTO Trade...
by Andrea | Nov 19, 2015 | CSME, international trade rules, Recent Trends in Trade
In 2013, the U.S. imported 19% of its overall food supply, says the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA). This included 80% of its seafood, about 52% of its fresh fruit, and 22% of its fresh vegetable supplies. Understandably, the Food Safety Modernization...
by Andrea | Nov 5, 2015 | CSME, international trade rules, Recent Trends in Trade, small business financing, tools for importers, Trade and Development
Coincidence or not, following closely on the heels of major food poisoning incidents in the United States, the FDA kicks FSMA into high gear. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) cautions that there are about 24 multi-state (involving at least two states) food...
by Andrea | Oct 28, 2015 | access to finance, CSME, international trade rules, markets in Africa, Recent Trends in Trade
Starting December 1, coming soon near you – changes to US food label requirements. US food labelling laws require that most foods bear nutrition labeling. Furthermore, the information must be easily read and understood by the ordinary individual under customary terms...
by Andrea | Oct 21, 2015 | CSME, international trade rules, Recent Trends in Trade, tools for importers, Trade and Development
My husband and I recently returned from a trip to Jamaica. As this is where we grew up, we returned laden with several food products that would allow us to continue to experience Jamaican cuisine ever so often. Everything we imported was allowable. However, the...
by Andrea | Oct 14, 2015 | access to finance, CSME, tools for importers
New changes in US policy towards Cuba that took effect on September 21, 2015 have expanded the range of business and commercial activities that US persons can undertake in Cuba. At the same time, it is important to move ahead only with a full understanding of the...
by Andrea | Oct 9, 2015 | access to finance, CSME, international trade rules, Recent Trends in Trade, tools for importers, Trade and Development
Here is Part “J” of my series, “International Trade Alphabet Soup” that will periodically list and provide context for key acronyms and international trade terms: JBIC – Japan Bank for International Cooperation is the world’s largest source of development...
by Andrea | Sep 30, 2015 | access to finance, cap and trade, CSME, international trade rules, markets in Africa, Recent Trends in Trade, tools for importers, Trade and Development
This post is being written as I prepare to take a well-needed vacation. Thinking about my upcoming vacation made me think about tourism, which led me to trade in services. Hopefully you followed this train of thought, as it has made me decide to update and share an...
by Andrea | Sep 23, 2015 | access to finance, CSME, international trade rules, new ways to finance business
Image reprinted with permission of Aotearoa under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License On average, sales of goods and services to government agencies and entities account for 10-15 percent of a country’s GDP. Furthermore, unlike private sector...
