United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed the Director of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) Division on International Trade and Commodities, Pamela Coke-Hamilton, as the new Executive Director of the International Trade Centre (ITC) in Geneva.
ITC is a joint agency of UNCTAD and the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
It enables micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in developing and transition economies to become more competitive and connect to international markets for trade and investment.
Its global goals are those of the Sustainable Development which represent a universal, global development agenda for all UN member states and all development actors until 2030.
They consist of an integrated, interlinked set of 17 goals supported by 169 targets in economic, social and environmental development dimensions. ITC directly supports 10 Global Goals.
ITC contributes to the Global Goals via its support to SME international competitiveness for inclusive and sustainable growth through value addition, trade, investment and global partnerships.
It has systems in place to monitor results and assists the global community in tracking advances towards achievement of the Global Goals. A code of conduct guides ITC interventions.
UNCTAD Secretary-General, Mukhisa Kituyi, congratulated Ms. Coke-Hamilton on the appointment and thanked her for her dedicated service to the organisation.
“I wish her well in her new appointment. I am confident that she is the right person for the role at the right time, particularly in light of the current challenges facing MSMEs brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic”, Kituyi says.
Deep knowledge and experience
Ms. Coke-Hamilton brings to the position a deep knowledge of international trade and extensive experience in development policy, private sector development, capacity-building and technical cooperation.
She served as a director at UNCTAD for two years. Previously, she served as the executive director of the Caribbean Export Development Agency.
Before that, she was the regional hub coordinator for the Caribbean at the Inter-American Development Bank and the director of trade and competitiveness at the Organization of American States.
She holds a Juris Doctor degree in law from the Georgetown University School of Law in the United States, and a bachelor’s degree in international relations and economics from the University of the West Indies in Jamaica.
