The “Compendium of Financial Inclusion Initiatives” currently being prepared will identify financial measures initiated by governments, national and regional development banks, as well as international organizations, to support small-scale businesses run by women entrepreneurs, said Ambassador Simon Manley of the United Kingdom, co-chair of the Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender. The objective is to “make this compendium available to all members, once finalised, as a policy tool and a model when developing financial inclusion schemes for female entrepreneurs,” he said. The other co-chairs are Ambassador Clara Manuela da Luz Delgado Jesus of Cabo Verde and Ambassador Ana Patricia Benedetti Zelaya of El Salvador.

The co-chairs also informed members about the upcoming workshop titled “Women-led MSMEs, Trade and Climate Change — Adapting and Investing for the Future,” to be held on 28 September. The workshop is organized by the WTO MSMEs Group, the Trade and Gender co-chairs and TESSD as a “joint solutions lab.” It will focus on addressing inclusivity at the WTO, establishing the connection between sustainability and inclusivity, and experience-sharing by MSMEs.

Ambassador Manley furthermore reported on the session organized by the co-chairs at the WTO Public Forum on 14 September titled “How She Traded It: Success Stories from Female Exporters”, noting that hearing about on-the-ground experiences and challenges facing women business leaders was enriching for the work of policymakers.

Information sharing

Chile presented its “Feminist Foreign Policy” at the meeting, which incorporates a gender perspective into the design and implementation of policies for international relations. Ambassador Sofía Boza of Chile said: “The Feminist Foreign Policy recognises that gender gaps are an obstacle to the full exercise of fundamental rights such as women's participation in the construction of more representative democracies. In addition, these gaps place limits on sustainable development and the well-being of countries.”

Canada updated the Informal Working Group on the results of the Inclusive Trade Action Group's (ITAG) three-year review of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), noting that the CPTPP had clear trade benefits in Canada for small and medium enterprises and women workers. For example, Canadian firms that significantly increased their exports to CPTPP markets increased total employment in the first year by 23.8%, while female employment increased by 11.4%.

New Zealand provided information on activities of the ITAG, of which it is also a member, and of the Global Trade and Gender Arrangement (GTAGA), which is a group within ITAG. New Zealand highlighted that ITAG members issued on 16 July the new Tāmaki Makaurau Joint Declaration on Inclusive and Sustainable Trade. The Declaration commits ITAG partners to various priorities, including providing support for indigenous economic empowerment, small and medium-sized businesses, women in trade, domestic regional development, and the environment and climate change.

Peru presented its draft proposal to implement a Peruvian Feminist Foreign Policy, which calls for a gender approach in considering all global issues, such as security, climate change, health, and science, technology and trade.

Updates and presentations

Members were updated on the current work by UN Women on women's economic empowerment — including the Equal Pay International Coalition and Women's Entrepreneurship Accelerator — and the activities of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe on gender-responsive standards.

The WTO Secretariat provided an update on the organization of the upcoming Youth Trade Summit on Gender, which will be held on 13-14 November in Geneva to promote opportunities for young professionals and researchers to engage in discussions on trade and gender issues and meet with WTO stakeholders. The core objective of the Summit is to act as a “talent incubator” by promoting the next generation of trade and gender experts. The various outcomes of the Summit will be built into the second edition of the World Trade Congress on Gender to be held in December 2024.

Following the call for nominations opened earlier this year, 58 young researchers and professionals have been nominated to participate in the Summit.  “The nominees come from all around the world, which shows that trade and gender is a global issue, now firmly on the agenda of research and governmental institutions regardless of their location,” said Anoush der Boghossian, Head of the Trade and Gender Office and Founder and Chair of the WTO Gender Research Hub.

The Secretariat also informed members about the trade and gender training course for WTO Geneva-based delegates, to be held on 18-19 October at the WTO. The course will focus on trade and gender data, sustainable development, and gender-responsive trade policymaking. It will also include a thematic approach to trade and gender. Brainstorming sessions will help members mainstream gender into the WTO's daily work, said Ms der Boghossian. Invitations to apply for the training course will be sent in the coming days by the WTO's Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation to permanent missions of WTO members eligible for technical assistance.

More information: Women and trade