Economic research and trade policy analysis
Facilitating women’s economic empowerment through trade with voluntary sustainability standards
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.
Sustainable development and women’s empowerment: the challenges and opportunities of digitalization
This study looks at digitalization from a gender and development perspective. It investigates which countries and, within countries, which segments of the population have been able thus far to benefit from the dynamism provided by digitalization, especially through e-commerce and technological advances in agriculture. The study points to digital divides between developed and developing countries, as well as to other divides linked to gender, age and socioeconomic factors that determine individuals’ ability to have access to digital technologies and use them in a productive and beneficial manner. The analysis zooms in on the potential opportunities that digitalization provides to women, especially in the developing world, and on the obstacles they face to benefit from it. The study makes a distinction between having access to technology, using it and using it in a productive manner, and highlights the link with gender and other gaps in society and the economy. In the conclusions, the study puts forward some suggestions to help digitalization provide shared benefits and leave no one behind.
Nota de agradecimiento
Queremos dar las gracias a todas las instituciones que han suministrado datos incluyendo las notificationes en los cuadros del tema especial, sobre todo a las administraciones nacionales o las delegaciones ante la OMC que han facilitado toda esta información. En algunos casos, los datos se han publicado en sitios Web nacionales o a través de organizaciones regionales. Dada la enorme cantidad de datos y metadatos estadísticos que ha sido necesario procesar, y debido a que esa información no se encuentra en una única organización, la presente publicación sólo ha sido posible como esfuerzo conjunto de la OMC, el ITC y la UNCTAD. Cada una de estas tres organizaciones posee una reconocida experiencia en actividades de análisis arancelario y una destacada pericia en la materia.
Lived experience of women entrepreneurial exporters in a developing country context
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.
Prólogo
Perfiles arancelarios en el mundo es una publicación conjunta de la OMC, el ITC y la UNCTAD dedicada al acceso a los mercados para las mercancías. Este anuario estadístico contiene una amplia compilación de los principales parámetros arancelarios para cada uno de los 161 Miembros de la OMC, así como de otros países y territorios aduaneros. El perfil de cada país presenta información sobre los aranceles que cada economía impone a sus importaciones y se complementa con un análisis de las condiciones de acceso a los mercados en sus principales mercados de exportación.
Trade negotiation dialogue and capacity building: applying the PXA Framework
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.
Note / Abréviations / Avertissement
L’Union européenne a succédé à la Communauté européenne aux fins de l’OMC au 1er décembre 2009.
Foreword
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.