Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender reviews 2024 achievements on advancing equality
At a meeting of the Informal Working Group (IWG) on Trade and Gender on 18 November 2024, members took stock of the Group’s achievements in 2024 in advancing gender equality in global trade. Attention was drawn to the paragraph on trade and gender included in the Abu Dhabi Ministerial Declaration, the launch of a new policy tool supporting the financial inclusion of women entrepreneurs, and the inaugural International Prize on Gender Equality in Trade.
The Co-Chairs of the Informal Working Group — Ambassador Clara Delgado of Cabo Verde, Ambassador Patricia Benedetti of El Salvador and Ambassador Simon Manley of the United Kingdom — said that the adoption of the Abu Dhabi Ministerial Declaration with a dedicated paragraph on trade and gender at the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference (WT/MIN(24)/W/12/Rev.1) was a pivotal achievement for the IWG. “This paragraph is of crucial importance, as it gives a ministerial mandate to the WTO to work on trade and gender, as recognized by some members at the IWG meeting held right after MC13,” said Ambassador Manley.
The Co-Chairs also highlighted the launch of a new policy tool supporting the financial inclusion of women entrepreneurs — the Compendium of Financial Inclusion Initiatives prepared in collaboration with the Informal Working Group on Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs). The compendium is available in the form of a database prepared by the WTO Secretariat. The Co-Chairs also spotlighted the International Prize on Gender Equality in Trade, which will be awarded annually to recognize impactful gender-responsive trade policies.
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