The signing took place at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (WTC Washington, D.C.) between Arun Venkataraman, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service, and Robin van Puyenbroeck, WTCA Executive Director-Business Development, with 15 representatives and guests in attendance. 

The MOA aims to further drive corporate investment and trade opportunities for U.S. companies seeking to increase exports and imports, while offering the ITA a platform to communicate about investment and trade opportunities in the U.S. to the WTCA's global network of companies. 

Benefits of the Partnership:

·     Running a webinar series that offers a framework on international trade best practices 

·     Organizing inbound and outbound trade missions

·     Mutually offering service support for inbound and outbound trade missions to the members of each of the parties 

·     Exchanging networking opportunities that will benefit WTCA members located in the U.S. 

Upcoming Webinar Series -- "Make Trade Work":

One of the first engagements following the establishment of the MOA will be the rollout of a webinar series entitled "Make Trade Work." 

The series is a joint initiative to help educate and increase global trade and investment opportunities. The first of the five webinars, hosted over the course of a year, will take place on Thursday, September 29: “Protecting Your Business Interests: Corporate Espionage, Global Security and Compliance.”Please note this webinar is only available to U.S.-based companies. 

Future topics are available to a global audience and include: 

·     Planning and Maximizing Trade Missions -- October 3, 2022

·     Managing Global Supply Chain -- February 9, 2023 

·     Attaining Global Talent and Diversity Inclusion -- May 18, 2023 

·     Grants and Trade Finance -- September 7, 2023