Investigación económica y análisis de políticas comerciales

Acknowledgements are due to the International Monetary Fund, the International Trade Centre, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Statistics Division, the World Bank and the World Intellectual Property Organization. The assistance of all these organizations in supplying statistics as well as other information has greatly facilitated the work of the WTO Secretariat.

Le PIB (produit intérieur brut) est le total de la production sur le territoire de l’économie moins le total de la consommation intermédiaire (plus les taxes déduction faite des subventions aux produits). Il est mesuré en termes nominaux et sur la base des taux de change du marché.

Based on the Statistics Canada 2017 Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises, this chapter examines the role of gender on the export participation of Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and identifies specific characteristics and business activities of women-owned SMEs that are associated with their export propensity and export intensity. It also provides empirical evidence of the benefits of online payments and innovations to the internationalization of women-owned SMEs. The study finds no statistically significant gender differences in the export propensity and the export intensity when business characteristics are controlled for. However, the impact of some characteristics on export propensity are significantly different between men and women-owned SMEs. Firstly, larger SMEs owned by women are less likely to export than men-owned and equally owned SMEs of the same size. Secondly, online payment and innovations play a more crucial role in facilitating exports for women-owned SMEs. Finally, for higher export intensity, the owner’s education level and managerial experience are much more important for women-owned SME exporters than for men-owned and equally owned exporters.

Este capítulo examina la forma en que la mejora de la cooperación en cuestiones comerciales y conexas contribuye a la seguridad sanitaria mundial. Partiendo de las lagunas existentes en la cooperación que se pusieron de manifiesto durante la pandemia de COVID-19, el capítulo describe los elementos necesarios para garantizar que las normas de los acuerdos comerciales y los mecanismos de cooperación que van más allá del comercio puedan apuntalar los esfuerzos encaminados a responder mejor a la próxima pandemia.

Services have emerged as the driving force that is shaping the economic landscape of countries at all levels of development. They account for the largest share of global economic activity by generating more than two-thirds of GDP, employ the most workers, and are the source of most new job creation, especially for female and young workers. At the same time, services trade has turned into a key element in growth strategies, becoming the most dynamic component of global trade in recent times, and creating higher value-added jobs.

There is widespread literature that illustrates the link between gender and trade, as it can reveal the different roles of women and men in economic activity. Therefore, trade policy can be a critical instrument for reducing or reinforcing gender inequalities.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) expressed an overarching objective of leaving no one behind. SDG 5 holds integral to all dimensions of inclusive sustainable development. Gender equality is a right and ensuring the rights of women and girls across all the SDGs will lay the foundations for a just and equitable society that works for all. By creating enabling conditions for women to fully participate in the economy and offer their diverse skills and abilities, it would not only address the constraints rooted in the existence of gendered social structures but also drive the economy to benefit all.

Entrepreneurs operate within a broad ecosystem, which enables them to access different types of support when needed – from financial and logistical to emotional. The ability to tap into available resources in an entrepreneurial ecosystem is particularly important for those embarking on an internationalization strategy, such as exporting, given its many complexities. However, many women entrepreneurs, both aspiring and active exporters, feel discriminated against by government and private-sector actors in the ecosystem, which constrains their internationalization efforts.

The increasing trend of the inclusion of gender equality and women’s economic empowerment concerns in the negotiation of trade agreements creates a need to strengthen informed dialogue between the public and private sectors. Trade negotiators are often not aware of the specific barriers faced by women in their various economic roles, and as a result, face a challenge in promoting provisions that will successfully address these barriers. At the same time, the private sector is often not equipped to communicate its needs to a policy audience and identify the ways in which it can inform the negotiation processes with its information and experience. This gap can be bridged with the help of an institutionalized and structured dialogue between public and private, and international organizations can provide the required institutional and structural support. The public–private coordination and exchange can also help countries – particularly developing countries – overcome the capacity gap in trade negotiations as they can benefit from the inputs coming from the private sector and experts.

Making trade work for women goes to the core of the WTO’s purpose because women’s economic empowerment is central to achieving the WTO’s founding objectives of raising living standards, creating jobs and promoting sustainable development.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused challenges to public health systems and disruptions in international trade and society. This chapter will highlight the role of regional governance in complementing international governance in responding to global crises and addressing gender issues. The discussion concentrates on the Asia-Pacific region, including responses by individual economies and the regional organizations the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The findings show that policy measures responding to the pandemic are progressing dynamically. While policies are primarily concerned with the strength of public health systems and the stability of economic and social situations initially, they will focus on answering specific groups’ needs, including women’s challenges, at a later stage. Besides, comparing the actions between ASEAN and APEC indicates the difference in the governance approach to the trade and gender nexus; that is, the human rights-based versus the economic and technical cooperation (ECOTECH)-oriented approaches. Accordingly, this chapter argues that policy priority and institutional structure are crucial elements behind the diversity of regional governance on gender issues in the Asia Pacific. Finally, it suggests that the experiences of Asia-Pacific regional governance facilitate the understanding of dimensional and cross-cutting gender issues and provide insights into international governance of the trade and gender nexus.