Founded in Geneva in September 1996, the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) aims to influence the international trade system such that it advances the goal of sustainable development. As an independent, non-profit, and non-governmental organization, ICTSD engages a broad range of actors in ongoing dialogue on trade and sustainable development policy. In advancing its mission, the Centre has become a leading broker of knowledge and information on trade policy and sustainable development.

With a global network of governmental, non-governmental, and inter-governmental partners, ICTSD plays a unique, systemic role as a provider of original, non-partisan reporting and facilitation services. ICTSD advances trade policy that supports sustainable development by structuring interaction between policy-makers and key influencers who are often excluded from policymaking processes. ICTSD helps parties better understand the technical and political contexts that underlie their interests and the interests of those with whom they interact on policy issues. In this way, ICTSD builds bridges between groups with seemingly disparate agendas, enabling them to identify and progress on issues where their interests and priorities coincide.

ICTSD empowers stakeholders in trade policy through information, networking, dialogue, well-targeted research, and capacity building. ICTSD identifies knowledge gaps in international trade rule- and policy-making from a sustainable development perspective; it mobilizes the best expertise around the world through dialogue and research to address those gaps in a solution-oriented way; it processes the knowledge generated through these processes so that it is applied and relevant for international policy making processes; and it delivers this knowledge to sustainable development constituencies in a timely manner.

From the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) blog

Bridges Weekly | EU-China Solar Row Escalates, Amid Rumours of Potential Negotiations

The Sino-European spat over trade in solar panels has continued to escalate in recent weeks, with officials in Beijing warning that Brussels’ planned anti-dumping duties could have severe implications for their bilateral relationship. Meanwhile, conflicting news reports have also emerged over the past few days regarding whether a negotiated settlement aimed at defusing the row [...]

New Publication | ICTSD Profile 2013: Pursuing Sustainability in the Global Economy

International policy frameworks can be powerful drivers of systemic change. Since 1996, ICTSD has worked with policymakers, advocates and business, and leading thinkers globally and regionally to ensure that trade related policies contribute to a fairer and more sustainable global economy. The ICTSD Profile 2013 offers a strategic view of this complex and evolving landscape [...]

Bridges Africa | How can LDCs harness trade for structural transformation?

Since the 1970’s, the United Nations has identified Least Developed Countries LDCs as states which, for reasons of very low income, poor human development, and high economic vulnerability, face more structural handicaps than other countries in rising out of poverty. The increased focus on LDCs challenges, however, has not been matched by solutions. In the [...]