About Us
TPONetwork.net is the virtual community of the TPO Network, the global network of Trade Promotion Organizations (TPOs). It is an electronic forum for the exchange of information by and for TPOs. The forum was endorsed by the 3rd World Conference of TPOs held in Marrakech, Morocco, in October 2000.
World Conference of Trade Promotion Organizations
The World Conference of TPOs is the international networking event of TPOs. It is hosted by TPOs, for TPOs, in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC). Conferences have been held since 1996.
- The 1st Conference in Cartagena (Colombia, 1996) addressed the impact of the new multilateral trading system, in the wake of the creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
- The 2nd Conference in Santiago (Chile, 1998) followed with a closer look at trade promotion tools.
- At the 3rd Conference in Marrakech (Morocco, 2000), participants addressed the challenges of the digital economy, and began to review the challenges of public-private partnership and impact assessment.
- The turbulent business environment was the theme of the 4th Conference in Beijing (China, 2002).
- At the 5th Conference in Malta (Malta, 2004), the focus was on innovation and practical action as a response to rapid evolutions in global trade.
- The opportunities and challenges for TPOs in global trade were discussed at the 6th Conference in Buenos Aires (Argentina, 2007).
- The 7th Conference in The Hague (Netherlands, 2008) explored key issues for TPOs to remain competitive in the changing international marketplace.
- The 8th Conference will be held in Mexico in 2010.
The TPO Network website is designed to:
- Be a forum for TPOs to share knowledge, information and practices;
- Provide resources and information to help TPOs improve and expand their activities;
- Encourage TPOs to work together and develop new ideas and initiatives;
- Update TPOs on important news and events such as the biennial TPO Network Conference and Awards.
The community welcomes all members of the TPO Network. Membership of this network is open to all staff members of National Trade Promotion Organizations or the agencies responsible for trade promotion activities at the national level. Staff members from sub-national TPOs, Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs), regional TPOs, government ministries in charge of economic and international trade issues, and international organizations are also eligible for membership.
Members can start or join in discussions; access documents, research and tools; get updates on relevant news and events. All the content on the site is reviewed by a team from the International Trade Centre (ITC) to ensure quality standards are maintained and discussions are kept adequately relevant.
If you are not a member yet click here to join
The team in charge of managing the site reserves the right of admission and declines any commitment, explicit or tacit, to grant admission or membership to any organization or individual. For further information, please e-mail us
International Trade Centre
TPO Network is hosted and managed by the International Trade Centre (ITC). ITC is a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization (WTO) for business aspects of trade development.
ITC’s mission is to enable small business export success in developing and transition countries by providing, with partners, inclusive and sustainable trade development solutions to the private sector, trade support institutions and policymakers.
