Gender and Trade Workshop calls for Greater Sensitivity among Policy Makers

Given the complicated linkages between trade policy and gender equality, there is urgent need for more research and greater gender sensitivity among policy makers.

This was a key call made at the two-day Gender and Trade Workshop from 18 – 19 June at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia . The workshop was organized by the ECA's African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC) and the Gender Equality in Regional African Institutions (GEARI) project of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

Several Regional Economic Communities and non governmental organizations based in Eastern and Southern Africa and ECA staff members took part in the training.

Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Abdoulai Mahamat, the Officer-in-Charge of the Trade, Finance and Economic Division of ECA, said the workshop would assist African trade policy makers in considering female voices while designing future trade policies.

“Gender should play a more critical role in the emerging regional trade discourse in Africa. ATPC has unique advantages in promoting gender and trade issues since it is recognised and accepted as a policy advisor to national governments,” Mr. Mahamat said.

Mr. Mahamat pointed out that the differential gender impacts of trade policy often arise due to the employment sectors. He gave the example of the textiles industry in Africa, where more than 80% of employees in several countries are women. Therefore, a trade policy measure that impacts this industry will have a huge impact on women, he said.

In her remarks to the workshop, Madame Therese Poirier, of the Embassy of Canada in Ethiopia, called on participants to ensure that lessons from the workshop are used to improve trade policies in Africa.

“We know Africa is deeply involved in regional integration through a range of economic trade agreements and partnerships. This training will look at how these processes can be made more women-friendly and provide opportunities for both women and men in regional integration practices,” she said.

The workshop called for more research on gender issues that are directly applicable to policy making. It also called on policy-makers to consider including gender assessments when designing trade policies in order to reach a better understanding of the implications for gender equality. These gender assessments will help the governments to design complementary policies for reducing the negative impact of trade liberalisation policies on women, and to identify measures to help women benefit from trade liberalisation.

The training was conducted by an eminent Canadian consultant on gender issues, Ms Nancy Spence, who has worked in gender mainstreaming for many years. She teamed with Dr Liepollo Pheko, a well known trade and gender activist in Africa. Details of all the presentations are attached.

Background:

A Gender Inception Workshop was conducted by GEARI and ATPC in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia two months ago. The workshop brought together close to sixty gender advocates, including a number of women from all over Africa, to advice the ATPC on their needs in trade. A number of prominent businesswomen made up these advocates, as businesswomen in Africa are very engaged in trade and they wish to play a stronger role in how trade affects both women and men. This workshop is a follow-up activity form the inception workshop.