World Trade Center Arkansas Signs Global Agreement on Agricultural Cooperation

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Denise Thomas (center in red), director of Africa and Middle East Trade, signs the global agriculture memorandum of understanding with other World Trade Center Association members on behalf of the World Trade Center Arkansas.

The World Trade Center Arkansas and more than two dozen World Trade Centers from across the globe officially signed a memorandum of understanding on agriculture during the World Trade Centers Association's 49th General Assembly in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, taking place from April 22-27.

As signatories on this important agreement and members of the World Trade Center Association's proprietary global network, the memorandum will build a robust framework for collaboration on agricultural trade issues. Spearheaded by WTC Harbin (China), each member of the group of participating world trade centers has deep ties to their local agriculture industries and the challenges they face. This group of organizations from more than one dozen countries offers a stable platform to foster trade ties during a time of increasing uncertainty.

"Agriculture products are Arkansas' largest export, and there are many people in our state who can benefit from our cooperation with other world trade centers," said Dan Hendrix, president and CEO of the World Trade Center Arkansas. "The centers that signed this MOU have strong connections with their local agriculture producers, so together we will be able to address common trade issues to help agriculture producers .

Steven Lo, executive director of WTC Harbin, remarked, "As a member of the WTCA I understand the great potential in working together to find new opportunities for our home regions. The objective of this signed understanding is to equip participating Members with a robust knowledge base, specialized services, and a means of collaborating so that each WTC may, in turn, enable their local business communities with tools to access and participate in global agribusiness."

The brief but significant ceremony memorialized the occasion and encouraged other WTCs to join the initiative. Signatories vowed to work on increasing opportunities for trade, as well as bridge the gaps that exist between their local agricultural sectors and the global trade community.

"This is a prime example of a benefit that only a global network like the WTCA can offer," said Scott Ferguson, chief executive officer of World Trade Centers Association. "As an association whose members are intricately woven into the fabric of their local economies, we are uniquely positioned to connect local communities to global opportunities, even in a global environment that may not always seem conducive to this kind of collaboration. My sincerest congratulations to all of the signatories of this important agreement—this is what our association is all about."

Participating world trade centers include the following from across the globe: Accra, Ghana; Algiers, Algeria; Amman. Jordan; Arkansas, United States of America; Beirut, Lebanon; Bengaluru, India; Boston, United States of America; Chandigarh, India; Chennai, India; Cyprus; Dublin, Ireland; Edmonton, Canada; GIFT City, India; Harbin, China; Indianapolis, United States of America; Joinville, Brazil; Kochi, India; Leeuwarden, the Netherlands; Montana, United States of America; Mumbai, India; Noida, India; Perth, Australia; Qatar; Saskatoon, Canada; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Trieste, Italy; Washington D.C., United States of America; and Winnipeg, Canada.

The mission of the World Trade Center Arkansas is to grow trade and increase Arkansas exports by connecting Arkansas businesses to the world through international trade services. The center is part of the University of Arkansas and serves as the trade promotion arm for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. For more information and valuable updates, please follow the center on Facebook and Twitter, or subscribe to the World Trade Center Arkansas newsletter.

About the World Trade Centers Association: The World Trade Centers Association is a network of more than 300 highly-connected, mutually-supporting businesses and organizations in nearly 100 countries. As the owner of the "World Trade Center" and "WTC" trademarks, the WTCA licenses exclusive rights to these brands for members to use in conjunction with their independently-owned, iconic properties, facilities and trade services offerings. Through a robust portfolio of events, programming and resources that it offers its members, the goal of the WTCA is to help local economies thrive by encouraging and facilitating trade and investment across the globe through member engagement. To learn more visit www.wtca.org.