The International Trade Centre and DHL have signed a new memorandum of understanding to expand their long‑running work helping small and medium‑sized enterprises trade across borders. The agreement combines ITC’s market intelligence and SME development programs with DHL’s global logistics network and technical expertise. ITC says SMEs make up about 90 per cent of businesses worldwide and play a major role in employment and GDP, but many still face barriers to participating in international trade.
Under the renewed partnership, the two organizations will support small businesses with cross‑border trade, work with business support groups and ITC SheTrades Hubs to strengthen services for women‑led firms, and advocate for small businesses in global discussions and high‑level events.
ITC and DHL have collaborated for a decade through programs such as DHL GoTrade, ITC SheTrades and ITC ecomConnect, reaching SMEs in more than 60 countries. Their work has included training, logistics support and shipping assistance for small and women‑led businesses. DHL also took part in ITC’s first Global SME Ministerial Meeting in 2025.
Past results include DHL GoTrade projects reaching more than 26,000 SMEs and 8,000 women‑owned businesses since 2021, SheTrades support for over 4,000 women‑led businesses across 60 countries, and ecomConnect initiatives that connected more than 400 SMEs with DHL shipping support, including cost reductions in selected markets.
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