On August 9, 2004 the Congressionally-mandated reorganization of the Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration was implemented. As part of this reorganization, the Advocacy Center has joined the United States & Foreign Commercial Service (US&FCS). This move will further strengthen the already strong relationships between the Center's regional managers and the commercial officers in our embassies abroad, making the Center and the USG even more effective in helping American companies win hard-fought tenders around the world.
As part of this move to the US&FCS, the Director General of the US&FCS has tasked the Advocacy Center with managing the Department of Commerce representatives to the Multilateral Development Banks (MDB). These representatives are responsible for protecting and promoting American commercial interests at the MDBs, which altogether finance development projects worth billions of dollars throughout the world. With these representatives reporting to the Center, the USG hopes to markedly increase the proportion of MDB tenders won by American firms.
US&FCS has websites providing helpful information on its representatives at each institution. U.S. businesses are also advised to begin their exploration of the opportunities at these institutions by visiting their respective websites and acquainting themselves with the procedures and goals of each institution.
Commercial Service Liaison’s website: The World Bank (WB)
World Bank Official website: http://www.worldbank.org/
Commercial Service Liaison’s website: The Asian Development Bank (ADB)
ADB Official website: http://www.adb.org/
Commercial Service Liaison’s website: The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
IADB Official website: http://www.iadb.org/
Commercial Service Liaison’s website: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
EBRD Official website: http://www.ebrd.com/