• The 1st Conference in Cartagena (1996) addressed the impact of the new multilateral trading system, in the wake of the creation of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
• The 2nd Conference in Santiago (1998) followed with a closer look at trade promotion tools.
• At the 3rd Conference in Marrakech (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 (2002).
• At the 5th Conference in 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 (2007).
• The 7th Conference in The Hague (2008) explored key issues for TPOs to remain competitive in the changing international marketplace.
• The 8th Conference will be held in Mexico in 2010.

International Trade Centre

TPOnet 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 policy-makers.