Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum

14 August 2014
Content from a Premium Partner
International Trade Centre (Geneva)
press release

Geneva — The International Trade Centre and partners are delighted to announce that the Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum 2014 (WVEF 2014) will take place 16-17 September in Kigali Rwanda in parallel with ITC's World Export Development Forum (WEDF). This year the event will feature two sectors; coffee and services.

You are invited to apply to participate in the event by completing a "Women Vendor Application Form" The deadline for receipt of applications is 31 July 2014.

Following a competitive selection process led by a steering committee, only applicants most closely matching the requirements of buyers will be chosen to attend. Due to the large volume of applications, only selected applicants will be contacted.

BACKGROUND

The Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum (WVEF) is the flagship event of the Global Platform for Action on Sourcing from Women Vendors.

There are 8-10 million women-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries, representing 31 to 38% of total SMEs yet they receive a paltry share of procurement contracts.

Led by the International Trade Centre (ITC), the Global Platform is a 10-year initiative that aims to increase the amount of corporate, government and institutional procurement secured by women vendors for the ultimate purpose of bringing economic benefit to women and their communities.

The Global Platform provides an avenue through which corporations, including the 673 signatories of the United Nations Global Compact Women's Empowerment Principles, can operationalise commitments to inclusive sourcing. WVEF connects women vendors to buyers to establish relationships and generate business over time. During previous events in China 2011 and Mexico 2012, matchmaking sessions between sellers and buyers led to the completion of more than 70 letters of intent to explore business opportunities of approximately US$20m.

CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

1. Applying companies must be 51% or more owned by one or more women

2. Company must be formally registered and incorporated

3. Company must be domiciled in a developing country (List of developing countries - page 35)

4. The deadline for applications is 31 July 2014, Close of Business Geneva Time. Entries received after the deadline will not be accepted.

PARTNERS

The International Trade Centre, The Rwanda Development Board (RDB), UN Global Compact, WEConnect International, Vital Voices Global Partnership, BPW International, the International Women's Coffee Alliance (IWCA), Full Circle Exchange and Quantum Leaps.

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