Merten Sievers is the Value Chain Development and Entrepreneurship Coordinator in ILO’s Enterprise Department. In this position, he is responsible for the ILO’s global technical cooperation programme on Value Chain and Market Systems Development. He also manages ILO’s portfolio on entrepreneurship training, on women’s entrepreneurship development and an expanding portfolio of refugee livelihood interventions. His team and related ILO field offices backstop technical cooperation activities in 70 countries. Merten is the author and co-author of several publications on strategies to enhance competitiveness and job creation in specific sectors and value chains, using a market systems development approach. He holds a degree in Economic Geography (Hamburg and Madrid), and a Diploma in Development Management (Berlin). Merten is also the Co-Chair of the DCED’s Executive Committee.