GENEVA — Eng. Hani Salem Sonbol, Chief Executive Officer of the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), member of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group, had a special meeting with Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, SG UNCTAD during the WTO Aid for Trade Global Review 2017 in Geneva.

The meeting took place on July 12, 2017 where both parties discussed areas of cooperation and mutual interests for the development of each institution’s member countries.

Eng. Sonbol said “UNCTAD has a long-lasting partnership with the IsDB Group and ITFC, specifically through the Aid for Trade Initiative for Arab States (AfTIAS).” The UNCTAD executed the capacity building and assistance project in Comoros and Sudan in 2014, part of the AfTIAS. “We look forward to building a more strategic partnership with UNCTAD to provide more tailored solutions that serve better our member countries.”

Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi thanked Eng. Hani and commended the efforts ITFC is undergoing, especially in the Trade Programs such as AfTIAS and the Arab-Africa Trade Bridges (AATB) Program. Both parties discussed potential future areas of cooperation including Green financing, SMEs development and technical assistance and capacity building initiatives, among other trade development projects. — SG