The Global Diversity Initiative (GDI) in the U.S. Commercial Service serves as the advocate on trade issues for small, women, and minority-owned business within the Commercial Service and in the U.S. Government. GDI sponsors outreach and educational activities for small, women, and minority-owned business and provides advocacy for these businesses in international organizations and negotiations.

Through outreach and educational activities, GDI seeks to increase awareness of trade opportunities and export assistance services among small, women and minority-owned business through:

• partnering with trade and business associations
• holding seminars and workshops
• providing information on trade to their members (through newsletters, e-mail updates, statistics and articles)
• recognizing and rewarding trade promotion activities of women and minority-owned business.

Advocacy and Trade Policy Activities, include:

• representing the trade-related interests of small business at international meetings, including the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Working Party.
• advocating for small, women, and minority-owned business within the U.S. Government trade policy community.