Edgard Rodriguez

Development economist w/ Canada's IDRC, building policy research for inclusive and sustainable trade & development in Asia & Latin America. Views are my own.

[Edgard Rodriguez @ERodDev]

#Women's empowerment can start w/sensible, suitable interventions. This is one of them in #Bhutan. Watch! @IDRC_CRDI @CanadaDev @CanadainIndia @IDRCinAsia @icimod https://t.co/MFTGAoCZ10

[Edgard Rodriguez @ERodDev]

#Digital trade has outpaced other #trade since 2011 & accounts for 25% of global trade in 2020. To be more productive, digital trade needs to more productive to suppor #SMEs, e-commerce, etc with reforms in trade of services such as the Digital Economy Framework Agreement #DEFA.

[Edgard Rodriguez @ERodDev]

#Trade is associated w #manufacturing value added gains, & more jobs, but still relies on imported inputs rather than local materials. Also, more trade brings higher Green House Gases #GHG. Today #Asia needs to focus on higher quality growth, says @ADBInstitute CEO BambangBrodjo.

[Edgard Rodriguez @ERodDev]

#SME do link to large firms & #GVC. Yet, this is very dependent on sectors & countries w/examples in automotive, electronics & agricultural processing: There is more than #industrial, #trade & #FDI policies could do to reach out #SME to step up these linkages.

[Edgard Rodriguez @ERodDev]

A key message is that participating in #GVC lowers the threshold 4 entry into #global #markets: Economies no longer need to develop complete industries to begin exporting; instead, they can specialize in
segments of production. Yet not everyone benefits, says @ADB_HQ report

[Edgard Rodriguez @ERodDev]

@ADBInstitute @ADB_HQ @UNESCAP @ISASNus @ARTNeTontrade @ResearchSEA W/ one-third of global trade & 40% of #FDI, Asia needs to move from efficiency to resilience & sustainability: industrial, trade, digital policies have added complexity to understanding #FDI for #development, says Heng Swee Keat, #Singapore National Research Foundation.

[Edgard Rodriguez @ERodDev]

Today the 2026 Asian #ThinkTank Network opens to discuss how sustainable & resilient supply chains can become through foreign direct investment #FDI. Asia's export growth has to adapt a changing world. See program https://t.co/bgrSz3ROMU @ADBInstitute @ADB_HQ @UNESCAP @ISASNus

[Edgard Rodriguez @ERodDev]

Today @CanadainIndia DHC Mark Allen celebrates Cdn expertise & stewardship of the land thru collaboration w/ #Bhutanese partners on #sustainability & #genderequality such as #Bhutan's 1st model forest
https://t.co/Ct1fHPdNfG & solar water pumps #WERELIS https://t.co/W6FlHPJcLz

[Edgard Rodriguez @ERodDev]

Today @CanadainIndia Deputy High Commissioner Mark Allen talked about the common agenda of #Canada & #Bhutan to promote, diversify & fund #renewable #energy working with #private & engaging Canadian & regional partners, including @IDRC_CRDI & @icimod.

[Edgard Rodriguez @ERodDev]

Today @icimod @IDRCinAsia brought together a wide range of regional perspectives on #energy transition supported by #Private #Engagement & #financing coming from #Bhutan, #Nepal, #India, #China.

[Edgard Rodriguez @ERodDev]

Today Oct 1, @ICIMOD @IDRCinAsia #Bhutan's Dept of #Energy are engaging regional #private #engagement to scale #inclusive #renewable #energy in the #Himalayan region, based on @IDRC_CRDI @CanadainIndia projects such as https://t.co/W6FlHPJcLz

[Edgard Rodriguez @ERodDev]

Today @ucalgary #China Minister Counsellor in #Canada renew the commitment of the recent 32nd @APEC #SME Meetings to build a regional #AI-powered center of excellence based in #Guangzhou as part of an #innovation-driven development for #APEC #SMEs. See https://t.co/1tZxu08uZM

[Edgard Rodriguez @ERodDev]

What will #AI do for #SME? The @ucalgary #APEC #SME symposium moderated by @CAN_ASEAN concludes more access & adoption are taking place but not enough for success for business.

[Edgard Rodriguez @ERodDev]

W/higher US tariffs, Canadian businesses are absorbing part of the costs & few--only 8%--are looking for other markets outside the US, contributing to uncertainty. New #FTAs for Canada can bring new possibilities for diversification, says @UCalgary Prof Trevor Tombe.

[Edgard Rodriguez @ERodDev]

Today @TFOcan Steven Tipman--an @IDRC_CRDI partner on #trade in developing #APEC members--leads a conversation on how savvy policies, networking w/@CanadaTrade, & market research can support Cdn #SME to enter int'l markets while promoting #development in emerging economies.

[Edgard Rodriguez @ERodDev]

Need for better data--abd new approaches to collect these data--to support #SME as new forms of enterprises are emerging not always formal or physical, discusses a panel on #SME perform by experts @UCalgary #APEC #SME symposium 2026

[Edgard Rodriguez @ERodDev]

Today #APEC #SME symposium talks to how a Canadian start-up such as fintech @ZayZoon is #scaling up in other markets helping workers manage their earnings so when workers aren’t stressed about their finances, they perform better & stick around longer.

[Edgard Rodriguez @ERodDev]

The new report by the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (#PECC) through Canada & Australia examines how #DigitalTrade can move to facilitation under agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership CPPT https://t.co/E78qFvPDT8

[Edgard Rodriguez @ERodDev]

Today @UCalgary School of Public Policy opens the @APEC Small and Medium Sized Enterprise #SME Symposium 2026 as a reminder of the challenge for @CanadaTrade to promote entrepreneurs to diversify within the large regional forum including 21 economies https://t.co/xMv8rbQuPo

[Edgard Rodriguez @ERodDev]

@WRIIndia @IDRCinAsia The experience of increasing capital to #green fleets is starting to spread across the region, says @Exim_India Managing Director, Tarun Sharma, as part of the bank's aim to promote bilateral trade from India to Gulf Cooperation Council #GCC countries & beyond.

[Edgard Rodriguez @ERodDev]

Today @WRIIndia convenes a conversation on financing logistics in #India: The sector ranks high in terms of development priority, esp. after the #MiddleEast crisis, w/ much-needed #EVs such as e-buses & e-trucks as part of #green transport & logistics solutions in need of finance

[Edgard Rodriguez @ERodDev]

@WRIIndia @IDRCinAsia Today @wriindia offers a platform #FINDRIVE to facilitate increased capital flows into #India's #transport sector, accelerating #decarbonization while addressing passenger & #logistics fleets, #airquality , sustainable #fuels, #batteries & digital public infrastructure #DPI