International Economics provided assistance and mentorship to the Viet Nam Cooperative Alliance (VCA) to further raise awareness of export markets, export development strategies, and the market access provisions of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) among Vietnamese cooperatives.
The project was part of the Expert Deployment Mechanism for Trade and Development (EDM) program, funded by GAC and implemented by Cowater International.
Cooperatives are important engine for sustainable development of the world economy, including in Vietnam. However, many of these achievements are at the domestic level, while the gains for cooperatives in the globalisation have been relatively humble. To enhance the position and value of the cooperative’s products, besides the domestic market, Vietnamese cooperatives need to increasingly expand their reach to export markets.
EDM’s support to the cooperative sector in Vietnam, through the VCA, aimed to raise awareness of export markets, strategies, and the CPTPP’s market access provisions for Vietnamese cooperatives. International Economics has previously assisted the VCA by developing an export strategy tailored to cooperatives and raising awareness on CPTPP opportunities, this included delivering a business guide, training course, pilot training, and a train-the-trainer workshop. While regional training events were planned to deepen VCA staff’s skills, only one session was held in Hanoi. Therefore, this project supported the organisation of the regional training events to ensure sustainability and quality.
This assignment focused on preparing and delivering training modules based on the structure of the previously delivered course. The key steps included the selection of VCA Trainers, who participated in the previous train-the-trainer workshop, and were selected as co-trainers alongside our Team. The training combined theoretical and practical sessions. VCA trainers rehearsed the course delivery with our Team, received feedback on substance and delivery, to deliver a course, both theoretical and practical sessions, which helped participants to replicate the training for other markets. In total, three regional workshops were held in Northern Vietnam, Central Highlands, and the Mekong Delta.
With the rapid proliferation of trade agreements worldwide, there are new market and investment opportunities for countries to explore. At International Economics, based on our extensive experience in international trade, we assist our clients by providing a detailed analysis of the key impacts of new trade agreements on their operations and competitiveness through an assessment of tariff, and non-tariff barriers, provisions on rules of origin, customs efficiency, the effectiveness of transport networks, and sustainability provisions, among others.
We can help assess the opportunities in different markets, determine the feasibility and viability of projects, and benchmark the wider ecosystem to support business growth. We also support clients in navigating the policy landscape regarding international trade by establishing robust monitoring and evaluation framework through sophisticated real-time dashboards and reporting systems to ensure the best outcomes.
