Regional Impact Trade Alliance (RITA)

The Regional Impact Trade Alliance (RITA) is an emerging international civil society organisation that aspires to serve as an inter-regional trade platform for purpose-driven cities, regions, bio-regions, and small nations, as well as to become a promotion body for a new global positioning of impact regions.

RITA seeks to embody a form of effective and decentralized multilateralism, with a small but diverse group of passionate people overcoming geographic and cultural barriers to contribute to a new interdependent economic system, one which uses business as a force for the common good. Its purpose is to catalyze commercial competitive and collaborative advantages for cities and regions based on their responses to large scale social and environmental needs; in particular, climate change, biodiversity loss and social inequality. Member Regions will be commercially rewarded for meeting minimum criteria in three categories: strong multi-sector collaboration, region-wide agreements (for the Planet), and economic innovations (macro and micro).

Since its first inter-regional roundtable in October 2021 between multi-sector actors in Mendoza and Melbourne, RITA has consistently convened leaders from Europe, Latin America, and Australia to continue exploring the potential for inter-regional impact trade. Leaders from regions in nine countries—Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Denmark, Israel, Italy, Spain, and Uruguay—have all been part of the co-creation process, from building trust and relationships at in-person gatherings in Stockholm and Sansepolcro (Italy) to developing core value propositions via regular online workshop meetings. Demonstrating its action-focused commitment to creating open and inclusive spaces for leaders to share regional “superpowers” and vulnerabilities, RITA convened a catalytic meeting in Mendoza (Argentina) in April 2023, which helped to finalize strategic foundations and build life-changing relationships amongst an inter-regional working group. RITA is also beginning to engage with Asia and Africa to continue to expand operations outwards.

RITA will be officially founded in Melbourne, Australia, in late-2023, as a non- profit civil society organisation. Amongst its priorities will be the formation of a pilot group of aspiring Impact Trade Regions in 2024, who, driven by a devotion to their unique places and a spirit of togetherness, will be empowered to co- create new regenerative place-based markets through inter-regional trade roundtables, missions, fairs and gatherings. These regions will be the first to receive a new “Regional Impact Origin” brand mark, which they will display on new economic models, products, services, and knowledge, similar to the denomination of origin stamps on iconic wines.