By now you must have recovered from the noise that was generated by COP26, which, arguably, should have been labelled a cop-out. If you are not familiar with the reference to ‘cop out’, it simply means to avoid doing something that one ought to do.

If you need reminding, the twenty-sixth iteration of the United Nations (UN) climate change conference was held in Glasgow, Scotland, from October 31 to November 12. Yes, most music festivals are shorter. COP stands for the Conference of the Parties, with ‘the parties’ being diplomatic parlance for the 197 nations that, in 1992, agreed on a new environmental pact, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

COP1 took place in Berlin, Germany, from March 28 to April 7, 1995. COP27 has been scheduled for Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, in 2022, and COP28 will be held in 2023 in the United Arab Emirates. So, the next conference will be hosted by an arid country with a hot desert climate, and the one thereafter in a desert. If that does not make a point about global warming, then heaven knows what does.

While on the topic of the UN, which seems to be everywhere, there is a joint agency, established in 1994 with the World Trade Organisation, which is highly successful – and that’s the International Trade Centre (ITC).

The ITC is the only development agency that is fully dedicated to supporting the internationalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This simply means that the ITC enables SMEs in developing and transition economies to become more competitive and connect to international markets for trade and investment, thus raising incomes and creating job opportunities, especially for women, young people and poor communities.

The ITC is anything but a talk shop; it has tools – skills and instruments – and provides the support that a business needs to properly execute its market analysis.

You might well have heard of some of the ITC’s market analysis tools, but have you considered or investigated them all? In this piece, I provide a quick recap.

Trade Map (www.trademap.org/Index.aspx) provides indicators on export performance, international demand, alternative markets and competitive markets, as well as a directory of importing and exporting companies. It covers 220 countries and territories and 5 300 products of the Harmonized System.

Market Access Map (www.macmap.org/) identifies customs tariffs, tariff rate quotas, trade remedies, regulatory requirements and preferential regimes applicable to specific products.

Rules of Origin Facilitator (https://findrulesoforigin.org/) is the first comprehensive global online resource on tariffs, trade agreements and rules of origin designed with SMEs in mind.

• Export Potential Map (https://exportpotential.intracen.org/en/) turns economic analysis into practical trade information using the ITC export potential methodology.

Sustainability Map (https://sustainabilitymap.org/home) is intended to create a business with a sustainable and verified identity. It allows for the growth of network businesses endorsed by sustainability initiatives.

Investment Map (www.investmentmap.org/home) collects yearly foreign direct investment (FDI) statistics for about 200 countries and provides a detailed FDI sectoral and/or country breakdown for about 115 countries. It helps investment promotion agencies identify priority sectors and competing countries. Moreover, it helps businesses identify potential locations for investment.

Procurement Map (https://procurementmap.intracen.org/) provides detailed information on public tenders and contract awards, offering a route to foster entrepreneurship and to seek new market opportunities. Users can easily identify potential buyers, thanks to an intuitive search based on target country and economic sector.

• Market Price Information (https://mpi.intracen.org/home) provides market prices in real time. It provides free access to real-time data on prices and market updates for more than 300 agricultural products.

ITC Market Analysis Tools Portal (https://marketanalysis.intracen.org/en) covers the world’s largest databases on trade statistics, tariff data, and rules of origin related to free trade agreements.