The Role of World Trade Centers in the Development of Trade in the Next Millennium by Guy F. Tozzoli

I am delighted to be part of this special edition of the WTCI Newsletter to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the birth of Israel. I have been asked to state my "credo" on the development of world trade in the next millennium. I have devoted my life to my credo which is fostering trade and peace through World Trade Centers.

At the outset, I wish to note that the World Trade Center in Tel Aviv is a living symbol of my firm belief that the best way to promote trade is to offer "one stop" comprehensive international business services. Moreover, World Trade Centers help companies to take advantage of the latest technology to reduce inefficiencies and costs. My vision started in 1970 with only 15 members at our first meeting. Now, the WTCA has over 300 members from 98 countries that are actively involved in the planning, development or operation of a World Trade Center. These members comprise some of the most prominent trading organizations in the world, including CETRA (China External Trade Organization), which operates the Taipei World Trade Center and represents more than 80,000 traders in Taiwan. Another World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) member is the Korea International Trade Association, operators of the World Trade Center in Seoul, which is responsible for about 25,000 traders. In addition, the WTCA membership includes the Russia Chamber of Commerce, the Paris Chamber of Commerce, the Hungary Chamber of Commerce, the Bulgaria Chamber of Commerce and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

These and other WTCA members have major business constituencies in their respective countries, giving the WTCA an exceptional opportunity to develop programs to serve a large and global community. Altogether, we estimate that there are over 500,000 businesses affiliated with World Trade Centers internationally.

We in the World Trade Centers Association are very proud of our apolitical philosophy. It is a fundamental principle of the WTCA and has proven to be one of our biggest strengths. We are not an association of nations but an association of regions. Thus, we are free from the problems involved with national policies and are able to accept members from regions all over the world, including countries that do not have diplomatic relations with one another. Thus, our membership includes such countries as the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Cuba, Cambodia, Israel, Libya, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq and, most recently, North Korea.

Of course, it is easy to state that we are an apolitical organization, but no group like ours can ever be completely insulated from political considerations. On several occasions over the years, the WTCA's apolitical policy was challenged, and I am convinced that our ability to stand by our principles on each of these occasions has made us a stronger organization. One example of this is our support of the Middle East and North African Economic Summits. In fact, WTCA entered in an agreement with ES-MENAS (Middle Eastern North African Summit), to use World Trade Centers to promote trade and the economic revitalization of the region. We were very pleased to be notified that ES-MENAS has submitted a letter of support for WTCA's and my 1998 nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.

A firm part of my "credo" is that WTCs must be on the cutting edge of technology. Let me provide you with two examples of this in TradeCard and WTCA On-Line. A continuing goal of the WTCA is to help all nations trade more efficiently and to use World Trade Centers to accomplish that purpose. To provide fast efficient trade financing and related services to the export-import community, WTCA has developed a new product called TradeCard. Simply stated, TradeCard is the world's first credit card for trade. Importers and exporters will be able to use TradeCard for international transactions with the same ease and convenience that the use of credit cards gives them for consumer purchases. TradeCard will revolutionize and simplify international commerce by making trade finance and related services available quickly, conveniently, and at an attractive cost.

The response to TradeCard thus far from all sectors of the trading community has been extremely favorable. We have been especially pleased with the interest in the new service that has been expressed by large, multi-national corporations. These firms, who do business primarily on an open account basis, want to link TradeCard with their in-house systems and use the EDI capability of TradeCard for inventory control and to track shipments to their ultimate destinations.

Through WTCA On-Line, the WTCA's new Internet-based service, World Trade Centers and their affiliated businesses can post trade offers of all kinds and read the offers posted by others, all without charge. The system also publicizes World Trade Center services and facilities and enables businesses to take display space in our electronic catalog called the WTCA On-Line Catalog. Clients can also access a variety of useful databases provided by Dun & Bradstreet and other key sources of information for traders. The site may be visited at http://www.wtca.org.

I hope that these comments leave you with an understanding that World Trade Centers are filling an important need in their respective regions. They are not simply buildings with a name on them. Also, I hope you will conclude that the WTCA is not a normal association. We do not merely schedule meetings and put out a newsletter. I believe sincerely that our members, through effective World Trade Centers, can produce major economic benefits for their cities and countries. I also believe that the WTCA has played a very important role in stimulating international commerce and that its programs now under development, especially TradeCard, have the potential to produce even greater economic benefits in the future.

All of us have our own feelings on the best way to achieve specific objectives. My personal philosophy is that organizations themselves, including governments, businesses, and everything in between, are not really able to accomplish anything. It is the people in those organizations that get things done. Once you understand that, and you deal with people on a one-to-one basis, it makes it easier to achieve objectives. This approach has helped us in planning and implementing programs in the WTCA. It makes us a family, where all family members know that their views and participation are welcomed and valued.

* Guy F. Tozzoli is the President and Founder of the World Trade Centers Association