WTO with Latin America Body Launch New Report Highlighting Services Export Promotion Strategies

A new report launched by the WTO Secretariat and the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC) on 17 September draws on case studies to illustrate how developing economies' export promotion strategies can help them take advantage of growing opportunities in services trade. Export Promotion Strategies for Services: Lessons from the Developing World provides useful policy insights for developing economies, underscoring the importance of close coordination with skills upgrading and investment attraction strategies and the need to adapt export promotion mechanisms traditionally focused on goods.

· New Publication: Launched on September 17, 2026, by the WTO Secretariat and UNECLAC, the report titled Export Promotion Strategies for Services: Lessons from the Developing World provides policy insights on boosting services trade in developing economies.

· Dynamic Growth of Services: WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala noted that digitally delivered services have grown by 8.5% annually since 2005, outpacing goods (4.7%), with global services exports reaching USD 9.6 trillion (nearly 28% of global trade).

· Core Differences from Goods: Services export promotion cannot simply mimic goods strategies; it requires building trust, reputation, credibility, professional networks, and expertise.

· Featured Economies: The report examines tailored case studies from nine developing nations across Africa, Asia, and Latin America: Chile, Costa Rica, Egypt, India, Jamaica, Malaysia, Mauritius, the Philippines, and Uruguay.

· Key Ecosystem Requirements: Successful services export policies depend on a coordinated ecosystem integrating skills development, investment attraction, regulatory reform, digital trust, and public-private collaboration.

· Multilateral Support: The co-publication was supported by major development banks, including the African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, IDB, and the World Bank Group.

· Main Takeaways: Deputy Director-General Johanna Hill emphasized that policies must align with the unique nature of services, connect trade promotion with broader economic factors, and adapt proven principles rather than copying a single blueprint.

<Report>

[ABS News Service/18.09.2026]

At the launch, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said: "Services have been the most dynamic component of world trade over the past two decades. Digitalization is opening opportunities unimaginable a generation ago. Digitally delivered services have grown by 8.5 per cent on average per year since 2005, compared with 4.7 per cent for goods and 5 per cent for other services. Global services exports totalled USD 9.6 trillion last year, accounting for a record share in global trade of almost 28 per cent on a balance of payments basis. For many developing economies, services exports offer a route to diversify beyond dependence on commodities or agriculture."

"Services deserve a more prominent place in governments' economic policy priorities. . But integrating services effectively into trade and development strategies - and specifically export promotion work - can't just mimic what was traditionally done for goods."

She added: "Training, reputation, trust, expertise and credibility matter greatly in the services context. Service suppliers need to find clients, demonstrate their capabilities, build professional networks and establish confidence that they can deliver."

The report features case studies on tailored approaches to developing and promoting services exports across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, focusing in particular on the experiences of Chile, Costa Rica, Egypt, India, Jamaica, Malaysia, Mauritius, the Philippines and Uruguay.

"Services export promotion needs to be closely connected with strategies to attract investment and develop skills. Prospects for export success in the services sector depend heavily on the policy environment, digital infrastructure and broader competitiveness policies," the Director-General said.

The co-publication by the WTO and UNECLAC benefited from support from the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank Group.

Nanno Mulder, Chief of the International Trade Unit of UNECLAC, said: "What we saw across the nine country studies is that many of the strongest results came from policies beyond the traditional export promotion agency's mandate. These additional initiatives that were highlighted by the different contributions centre around skills development, investment attraction, aftercare, regulatory reform, certification, digital trust and, very importantly, public-private sector coordination. What we're looking at is an ecosystem that works in a coordinated way to bring about trust, which is at the centrepiece of what services exporters sell. Therefore, the book points to an integrated approach that links export promotion to these different areas."

Anabel Gonzalez, Vice-President for Countries and Regional Integration of the IDB, said; "Importantly, the publication reinforces a point that is central to our work, which is that market access is very important, but alone it is not enough. Countries need the institutions, skills, investment initiatives, digital trust and firm-level capabilities to translate market opportunity into actual exports, investments and jobs. This highlights the importance of connecting the work that is being done here in Geneva with what happens in capitals. Trade rules and agreements are very important in creating opportunities, and institutions like the IDB and the other multilateral development banks can help countries build the capabilities, mobilize the finance and provide sustainable support needed to turn those opportunities into results."

In conclusion, Deputy Director-General Johanna Hill highlighted three key takeaways from the panel discussion: "First, services export promotion needs to be designed around the characteristics of services themselves. Visibility is not enough. Credibility is necessary, as well as the networks and the capacity to demonstrate that providers can deliver. Secondly, export promotion cannot operate in isolation. The experiences in the book show the importance of connecting trade promotion with investment, skills, regulation and the private sector. Thirdly, there is no single blueprint. Costa Rica, Jamaica, India and the other economies examined in the publication have followed very different paths. The challenge is, therefore, not to copy another country's model but to understand the principles behind what worked and adapt them to domestic circumstances.