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Women and Trade

Empowering Women - Powering Trade

HEAR WHAT WOMEN HAVE TO SAY

Government ministers and experts from 29 nations met at the World Trade Organization in April 2008 to draw up a blueprint to tap the entrepreneurial power of women when the world’s least developed countries (LDCs) draw up their trade and development plans.

During the meeting, experts from 17 LDCs participated in a roundtable on the Gender Dimension of the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF), to identify trade obstacles to trade faced by women and possible solutions.

Listen to the opinions of three experts who attended the roundtable.

Nigest Haile, Ethiopia

Executive Director, Center for African Women’s Economic Empowerment

Nigest Haile describes the benefits of training women entrepreneurs

Florence Kata, Uganda

Executive Director, Uganda Export Trade Promotion Board

Florence Kata explains how her government is bringing a gender dimension to trade policy

Mary Malunga, Malawi

Executive Director, National Association of Business Women, Blantyre, Malawi

Mary Malunga stresses creating a dialogue with policy-makers to involve women in trade policy

The challenge: do it differently

“Investing in women and girls has a multiplier effect on productivity and sustained economic growth. Investing in women is not only the right thing to do. It is the smart thing to do.” Ban Ki Moon, Secretary-General, United Nations.

Poverty persists in part as a result of inequality in access to and control over resources and opportunities – including those needed to trade. If we truly want to tackle poverty we must do things differently: we must empower women to succeed in business and trade and change the business environment that is not currently geared to supporting women.

Download Poster 'Empowering women - powering trade'

ITC’s Women and Trade Programme helps governments and trade support institutions take a gender inclusive approach to trade strategies with the aim of realizing both export and human potential. ITC helps connect institutions that support trade to government trade and gender ministries. It also helps such institutions strengthen their outreach to women entrepreneurs.

It is about acquiring knowledge, building capacities and achieving the multiplier effect on productivity and sustained growth.

ITC’s Women and Trade Programme helps governments and trade support institutions invest in women, while empowering women themselves to achieve export success.

Did you know? Women own 1% of the world’s wealth, have a 10% share in global income and occupy 14% of leadership positions in the private and public sector.
	Of the 1.4 billion people living on less than $1 a day, 70% are women and girls.
	Women do 2/3 of the world’s work, but earn only 10% of the income.
	Women produce half of the world’s food, but own just 1% of its land.
	Of the almost 900 million adults worldwide who can’t read or write, 2/3 are women.

“Women make up the majority of the world’s poor. To make a sustained impact on reducing poverty, trade development strategies must empower women. The shake-out in demand for goods and services resulting from the food, fuel and financial crises raises important questions.

"How can we convert export potential into revenue that fosters human development and reduces poverty? We need to focus on business sectors that have both export potential and high human development impact, particularly for women. We need to assess and address gender-based constraints to trade. We need to empower women so that they, too, can power trade.”

Patricia R. Francis, Executive Director International Trade Centre

Ms Patricia Francis, Executive Director, ITC

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PAST EVENTS

1-2 February 2010 - Women’s economic empowerment, accountability and national ownership

14-16 May 2009 - Global Summit of Women, Santiago

2 April 2009 - International Women's Colloquium

International Women’s Day 2009

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PRESS RELEASES/MEDIA

	UNMIL Radio interview of Ms Francis at the International Colloquium on Women’s Empowerment, Liberia
	World Radio Switzerland interview with ITC Natalie Domeisen and Meg Jones on WRS Your Space programme on Women in Trade
	'Economic meltdown has a woman's face' The Japan Times

	ITC/WTO Joint Press Statement - Trade Finance: Make It Work For Women
	ITC Lends ‘Mobile’ Hand to Liberian Market Women
	Women in trade: Can they lead the way out of the global financial crisis?

RESOURCE LINKS

	UN Resources - Women in the Global Economy
	Women's Business Networks
	Gender Reports

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