Cooperating through state trading organizations

The number of state trading organizations participating in foreign trade operations is estimated to exceed 500. These organizations play a major role in the development strategies of the countries concerned and also account for a substantial portion of the trade of developing countries, in many cases providing the main link between those countries and the international market.

In the 1970s, following high level consultations on the establishment of a new international economic order and on economic and technical cooperation among developing countries, the conclusion was reached that such organizations could and should play a pivotal role in promoting economic cooperation among developing countries and their collective independence. They are uniquely situated to implement government policies of cooperation with other developing countries, in that an established network of counterpart organizations in a large number of developing countries provides a ready-made comprehensive framework in an important area of economic cooperation among developing countries.