CBI - Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries

CBI (Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries) is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and is part of the Development Co-operation effort of the Netherlands. We have been operating within this policy framework since 1971. Our mission is to support the transition towards inclusive and sustainable economies. We strengthen the social, economic and environmental sustainability of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries. We do this by connecting SMEs to European and regional markets. In doing so, we promote and create decent jobs, and we stimulate sustainable production and trade. In our work, we use a systems approach; we recognise that unsustainable practices are often the result of complex systems. By supporting sustainability transitions, we aim to address the primary causes of problems in existing systems. Addressing these problems requires collaboration with partners. That is why we develop and carry out projects in close cooperation with local and international stakeholders, partner organisations and other Dutch government-funded programmes. We also work more and more often with local experts.