The World Trade Organization (WTO) and partners are calling for proposals for their Digital Champions for Small Business initiative launched today, Friday, June 25, 2021.The aim of the initiative is to help small businesses go digital and increase their participation in international trade.
Regarding the ultimate prize, the WTO noted that “awards will be tailored to the winning proposals. The number of awards will be determined based on the proposals received”.Meanwhile, the winning proposals will be announced at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference which will take place in Geneva between November 30 and December 3, 2021.
WTO Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, announced the initiative at a virtual event co-hosted by the Informal Working Group on MSMEs, the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
According to the WTO, the proposals should centre on how to help MSMEs address the difficulties they face with digital trade. Proposals are invited from industry associations, chambers of commerce and non-governmental organisations that are experienced in MSME and digitalization issues. The deadline for submission of the proposals is September 15, 2021.
Focus areas
With regards to the kind of proposals, the WTO noted that the ideal proposals should focus on awareness-raising campaigns, competitions, capacity building, training and mentoring programs. Furthermore, the WTO highlighted that the proposals should be designed and delivered by the entity submitting the proposal. Meanwhile, participating institutions have been urged not to focus on WTO negotiations, or proposed changes to WTO rules.
Furthermore, the WTO indicated that the proposals should include details on the concept, aims, timelines and other information as appropriate. Additionally, it noted that the proposals should not be more than three pages. All proposals are to be submitted via the following address in Word or PD format: Digitalchampions@wto.org.
The partners urged all applicants to ensure that they provide all the necessary documentations before submitting their proposals. These include the name of the organization, contact person (name, telephone, email), and short description of the organization.
Others include short bios of the persons implementing the project, name of the proposed project, timeline for the project, and challenge faced/issue to be addressed. Also, applicants are expected to provide a short description of the project, including activities to be organized, and aim(s) of the project. Moreover, applicants are to indicate how the ICC, ITC and WTO MSME Group can contribute to the implementation of the project.
Selection process
The selection of proposals will be carried out by members of the WTO MSME Group, as well as representatives of the ICC, ITC, and WTO. Also, the two sponsor organizations, Google and Zoom will also take part in the selection process.
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of the digital economy for businesses of all sizes throughout the world. MSMEs have historically struggled to enter the digital economy, due to lack of awareness, resources or technological know-how. The aim of the competition is to bring more MSMEs into the digital economy to help them grow, trade and become resilient. Business Business Business
