In the framework of the 66th Commission of the Status of Women (CSW66), UNCTAD will organize the side event “Accelerating progress in trade and gender: New policies and data developments”.

The past decade transformed how trade policy circles consider gender issues. Those responsible for trade policy increasingly recognize the differential impacts of international trade on women and men and the need to measure and address them. As a result, the interest in gender-focused trade statistics has increased and so has the demand for them. Each country has its unique gendered structures affected by its laws, culture, role in the global economy, and many other factors. Evidence about how trade and trade policies affect women and men, and overall gender equality, is a precondition for developing gender-responsive trade policies.

The gender and trade nexus has long been an important area of focus for UNCTAD. UNCTAD engages with member States and partners to identify gender-based constraints that impede inclusive development, strengthen their capacity to mainstream gender into trade policy formulation and implementation, and advance availability and measurability of official statistics on gender and trade to enhance evidence-based policy.

The side event will discuss how gender considerations are being progressively integrated into trade policy by presenting concrete examples and sharing recent progress in producing better statistics about trade and gender. 

Speakers:

• Isabelle Durant, Deputy Secretary-General, UNCTAD
• Georgina Wainwright-Kemdirim, Special Advisor, Inclusive Trade, Global Affairs Canada
• Ildephonse Musafiri, Executive Director, Strategy and Policy Council, Office of the President, Rwanda
• Phil Mellor, Lead Economist, Economic Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand
• Nelson Paredes, Head, Commercial Information Department, Directorate of Studies,Undersecretariat of International Economic Relations, Chile

Moderator:

Mia Mikic, Advisor at Large, ARTNeT