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NEWSLETTER
EDITION XXXIII, November 2015
Trade Facilitation through Partnership
The recent International Trade Finance Workshop “Foundations of International Trade & Finance” was a
perfect example of the power of partnership.
The event which took place at the Holiday Inn on 5th and 6th November 2015 involved an enormous amount
of planning and coordination to ensure the hugely successful outcome.
This ‘Foundation’ training, like any other foundation needs to be built on solid ground. This solid ground
evolved from the earlier successful international trade finance seminar, which was also held in partnership
with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in Tbilisi on 12 May, 2015. The event,
held during the occasion of the EBRD Annual Forum 2015, involved top level speakers from 10 countries
and more than 100 delegates.
Given the successful partnership experiences between the EBRD and ICC Banking Commission Georgia, we
were encouraged to
build upon and further
expand this trade fa-
cilitation partnership.
The EBRD Trade Facil-
itation Program team
working with the IFS
University developed
a highly engaging and
interactive workshop
which followed the
content and structure
of the textbook lead-
ing to the Certificate
in International Trade
and Finance (CITF®).
This book was also
kindly provided by
the IFS University and
greatly appreciated
by the participants. In
fact, one participant
commented that ‘after
2 days of intensive, engaging but enjoyable training the subject matter of the book no longer appeared
complicated and learning the vocabulary of international trade finance made comprehension of the ma-
terial easy to master’.
The recent event not only delivered high quality trade finance operational training but also provided a gate-
way opportunity for participants to achieve an internationally recognized qualification from IFS University
in London. At ICC Georgia we encourage the participants to take this important opportunity.
Feedback from participants was exceptionally positive and we must remember that this event would not
have happened without the kind support of the European Union through the EC NIF Framework for Ca-
pacity Building to Support Financial Intermediaries Funds in Azerbaijan and Georgia. The partnership was
complete with Tbilisi Municipality City Hall hosting, which facilitated implementation and media coverage
of the event.
As Chairman of ICC Banking Commission Georgia, I am proud of the team I work with at ICC Georgia and
energized to see that ICC Banking Commission Georgia is taking a pro-active role in facilitating trade during
these currently challenging times. It was quite a pleasant surprise when the EBRD presented an award of
appreciation at the end of the event and it was a great honour for me to accept the award on behalf of the
ICC Banking Commission Georgia and the ICC Georgia team.
The next step to be taken is to pass on to other ICC National Committees in the region and globally what
we have learnt from these experiences, as the best way to support professional education and advance
the development of financial inclusion is to build on the successes and share these experiences.
Mr. Ilia Gogichaishvili
Chairman, ICC Georgia Banking Commission
Mr. Marco Nindl, Principle Banker at the EBRD presenting an award of appreciation
to Mr. Ilia Gogichaishvili, Chairman of ICC Georgia Banking Commission