The objective of this Level One course on trade and gender was to support government officials and trade negotiators from various ministries, including trade and foreign affairs, in their respective efforts to promote gender equality in trade. The course sought to develop officials’ expertise in trade and gender issues, and to build their capacity to analyse, formulate and implement trade policies that support women’s access to trade and economic opportunities. In addition, the course sought to familiarize the participants with trade and gender issues related to standards, innovation and violence against women.
The course enhanced participants’ expertise in mainstreaming trade-related gender issues into policy-making, as noted Diana Zuhair Mousa Alaqtash, who leads the Women’s Economic Empowerment Unit established recently within the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply of Jordan. “This course provided me with an array of tools, skills and knowledge that will enhance my ability to analyse trade policies from a gender perspective,” she said.
Manar Hussien Abdellatif Abdelwahed, Second Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, said that the course will enable her to apply a gender lens to draft policies on trade, allowing her to contribute to promoting sustainable development through women’s economic empowerment.
Ogaufi Phemo Motshwane, Principal Trade Officer at the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Botswana, said that attending the training activity has been an eye opener. “Before this course, I didn’t think gender issues had a role to play in trade. But I will now work to integrate gender provisions in the services negotiations I am working on,” she added.
Zolzaya Dorjtsoo, First Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, stated that the training helped her to “connect the dots” on how gender issues impact women’s ability to access trade opportunities.
The training course was delivered in English for government officials from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. Other training opportunities will be offered in 2023, including an in-person course for French-speaking government officials to be held in July, and an online course for Spanish-speaking officials to be organized in October. In addition, a special session for Geneva delegates will be offered ahead of the 13th Ministerial Conference, which is to be held in February 2024.
These activities are part of the WTO’s Trade & Gender 360° Strategy, WTO’s capacity building programme on trade and gender.
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