The International Trade Centre (ITC) is a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization supporting the internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Its joint mandate combines a focus on expanding trade opportunities with the aim of fostering sustainable development. The Trade for Sustainable Development (T4SD) Programme has established a T4SD Hub in Laos to support Laotian SMEs to implement more sustainable business practices and access foreign markets.

The e-commerce training programme for coaches, which is implemented by the ITC e-commerce programme ecomConnect, is part of the T4SD Hub component Positioning sustainable products in the international market. The e-commerce training programme has been designed to help 15 SMEs based in Laos in the handicraft sector to sell their products to European and US customers through an international online marketplace.