Implemented by Karel van Hoestenberghe with the assistance of Roderick Udo. Trade.Com was conceived to help regional organisations and countries in Africa,the Caribbean and the Pacific to formulate their own trade policies and build adequate capacities for trade negotiations. The Facility operates within the broader development support strategy of the European Commission seeing trade and regional integration as a vital cornerstone for economic growth policies, which in turn are at the centre of broader socio-economic development.