Call for Applications: WTO-ITC Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund for Business Support Organizations (BSOs)
Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund. The World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Trade Centre (ITC) have jointly launched a pioneering initiative, the Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund. The US$50 million fund aims to empower women entrepreneurs in growing their businesses by leveraging international trade and digitalization.
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Requirements
- The WEIDE Fund calls on BSOs to apply to become a WEIDE Fund in-country partner. BSOs are critical to the successful implementation of the fund and will be called upon to support the fund with rolling out the call for applications to women-led MSMEs as well as identifying and leveraging new partnerships for the Fund.
- Partner BSOs will be selected based on criteria such as technical and operational capacity, commitment, country development status, and regional representation.
- By becoming a partner BSO with the WEIDE Fund, BSOs will be able to better support their women-led MSMEs to increase their export competitiveness, bridge the access to finance gap, and connect to markets through an increased digital presence.
Targeted beneficiaries
The targeted beneficiaries are:
- women-led MSMEs in the formal sector which are already exporting or which are ready to start exporting
- women-led, micro and small enterprises in the formal sector with export potential.
Benefits
The WEIDE Fund will unlock opportunities in international trade and digital trade for women entrepreneurs by improving their access to:
- Funds: providing grants and working with financial institutions to close the access to finance gap.
- Skills, knowledge, and competences: providing technical assistance and access to information related to digital skills and export competitiveness.
- Markets: connecting women to digital market platforms.
- Networks and support services: the Fund will create more inclusive and effective business ecosystems including leveraging partnerships with private and public sector actors.
Timeline:
- 11 Sep 2024 — Call for proposals from Business Support Organizations (BSOs)
- 1 Nov 2024 — Selection of BSOs
- 12 Dec 2024 — Call for BSO proposals for funding
- Feb/Mar 2025 — Selection of winners
Deadline: October 13, 2024