The Global Management Board of the UN Trade Cluster initiative, which is sponsored by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), met on 15 October 2012 to review its current operations, and to endorse its annual work plan for the Lao People's Democratic Republic, to discuss the next steps to be taken towards a new project to be launched in the United Republic of Tanzania, and to consider possible future projects in further countries.
Participating in this meeting were representatives of Switzerland, as the donor country for the UN Trade Cluster initiative; a representative from the Permanent Mission of the United Republic of Tanzania, as one of the beneficiary countries; and representatives of the five participating United Nations agencies.
The initiative was launched in 2010 by Switzerland (as donor) and five agencies of the United Nations Inter-Agency Cluster on Trade and Productive Capacity,* namely the International Labour Organization, the International Trade Centre, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and UNCTAD (as implementing agencies), and the United Nations Office for Project Services (as trust fund manager).
The projects being carried out as part of the initiative are designed to enhance sustainable tourism and export capacities, and to encourage cleaner production, both in the Lao People's Democratic Republic and in the United Republic of Tanzania.
