NO.CLE-HO/POL/CIRCULAR/14-15 April 21, 2014.

Members of the Council,

Sub : New Trade Portal of UNIDO

Dear Sirs,

We have received a communication from United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) informing that UNIDO has launched a new portal www.leatherpanel.org with the main objective to disseminate information on the best practices in the leather and leather products industry.

Among other information, the leatherpanel.org portal contains:

Publications: An extensive collection of UNIDO’s publications, manuals and reports that have are the result of more than 40 years of UNIDO’s involvement in the Leather Value Chain (LVC). These reports and publications provide an opportunity to see the main issues addressed by the leather sector over past decades. For easy reference, the publications are divided into several categories: Trends (in the leather value chain), leather processing, leather products, cleaner technologies, solid wastes, tannery effluent treatments, training and trade.

e-Learning material: Training activities are an integral part of UNIDO’s technical assistance programmes. To supplement and strengthen classroom and practical trainings, and to increase training delivery efficiency, UNIDO has integrated the use of animation into the e-learning platform. At the moment, the following courses are available:
1. Introduction to the treatment of tannery effluents (organized around five thematic training modules ; these are:
i.Load, norms, in-house treatment;
ii.Treatment options within the tannery compound;
iii.Sludge dewatering;
iv.Biological (secondary) treatment; and
v. Occupational safety and health (OSH) and common effluent treatment plant (CETP)

2. Footwear pattern engineering: This section contains e-Learning materials which includes a variety of training lesson and exercises, tests and animated narratives. This mo and is divided into the following modules and sub-sections:
i.Introduction;
ii.Background;
iii.Pattern Engineering
iv. Preparation; and
v. Computer-aided design

Training modules 1 and 2 provide a comprehensive overview of key features of the global footwear industry; including:

Training Modules 1 – Introductory Overview:

i. Introduction
ii.Shoe Fashion
iii.Foot Anatomy
iv.Foot Measurement

Training Module 2 – Footwear Pattern Engineering

v.Shoe Lasts
vi.Shoe Lasts Forms
vii.Men’s Oxford Shoe
viii.Ladies Court Shoe
ix.Ladies Sandals
x. Men’s Sandals
xi. Men’s Derby Shoes

Although the e-Learning materials and training course work provides participants with the knowledge and training required to work in the LVC the portal is still a work in progress. Future trainings and course work are currently in the design phase and when developed will be made available free of charge to registered individuals and industry groups.

The www.leatherpanel.org portal also provides its members with additional resources; including:

Gallery: This section provides an overview of various technical assistance strategies, training activities, and links to a large number of instructional videos.

Links: There are more than 300 links to various institutions, trade and professional associations, and other international organizations working in the Leather Value Chain.

Members may kindly note the above.

Thanks & regards,

R.Ramesh Kumar, IAS
Executive Director.
COUNCIL FOR LEATHER EXPORTS