The International Trade Centre (ITC) and the Commonwealth Secretariat, on the 4th of December 2025, signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that aims primarily to strengthen and work towards resilience, trade, and sustainable development across the 56-member Commonwealth, covering nations on five continents in total.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey and ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke Hamilton signed the agreement virtually, formalising a programme that will continue for three years (2025-2028). The programme is designed mainly to support inclusive, sustainable and digitally enabled trade.
The collaboration between the Commonwealth Secretariat and ITC focuses on several strategic areas. Its aim is to strengthen resilience for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) by expanding financing and trade opportunities, with a focus on developing green and blue economies to help diversify vulnerable island economies and mitigate climate impacts.
Through ITC’s SheTrades initiatives, this agreement empowers and supports women’s economic empowerment. Creating opportunities for women-owned businesses to have fair access to global markets, integrate into value chains, and secure financing, as well as to overcome structural barriers, all through training and policy support.
The pact, also underneath the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), focuses its attention on boosting intra-African trade by mainly engaging the private sector, building capacity in digital trade as well as investment protocols, and collaborating with regional business associations.
Understanding and recognising the global rise in the demand for critical minerals, the MOU also promotes developments which are sustainable in mineral value chains, including governance, sustainability standards, responsible business practices, and beneficiation.
Along with all these, this agreement also has diverted its attention into fostering youth innovation as well as entrepreneurship through skills development and knowledge exchange, as well as hosting programmes with the Commonwealth Youth Programme.
And lastly, it emphasises digital trade and e-commerce, supporting small businesses in the digital economy and also helping less-developed states to overcome certain hurdles such as structural trade barriers, ensuring inclusive sustainable economic growth across member countries.
At a time when many Commonwealth countries, especially small states, island economies, and least developed countries (LDCs), face many overlapping challenges and hardships, such as climate vulnerability, limited trade diversification, debt distress, and economic shocks, this pact comes as a saving grace.
By combining strengths from both these organisations, the agreement aims to provide vulnerable economies a stronger chance to build resilience and integrate into global and regional value chains, as well as to generate jobs.
As Botchwey mentioned at the signing, trade must be “a force for resilience, inclusion and opportunity across the Commonwealth”, not only helping small states but also women as well as youth entrepreneurs and emerging industries.
Pamela Coke-Hamilton added that the pact aspires to create a future “where crises aren’t running the table”, but where small businesses across the Commonwealth can steer their own path, all the while helping member states and countries to reach their development goals.
However, if one were to ask about the 2025-2028 action plan, there would be many points to consider.
The plan will implement cooperative technical assistance, policy support, capacity building, data sharing, research publishing, and coordinated lobbying over the course of the next three years.
At a time when many established industries are facing global instability, the MOU also promises to increase awareness of and support for sustainable sectors, including clean value chains, green and blue economies, and youth-led businesses.
This collaboration might provide access to funding, trade diversification, and equitable development for both landlocked LDCs and small, climate-vulnerable island governments. This could transform their economic opportunities and bolster stability in regions often overlooked by international trade.
