Gender and trade

This chapter discusses the evidence on the impacts of economic integration, technical change, and access to information on gender inequality. It examines the literature and, where knowledge gaps exist, draws on new work commissioned for this Report. This new work focuses on gender equality in trade,1 technological change and diffusion,2 and access to information.3 Existing evidence is strongest on the impact of trade and technology on labor market outcomes. And it is weakest, at least in the economic literature, on the impact of new trends on gender roles and norms, so that discussion is more tentative and speculative.

The Guide aims at helping the staff of UNIDO’s TCB Branch to apply a gender perspective in their work and, more specically, throughout the project cycle. The Guide can also be useful for national and local counterparts, agencies, international and private-sector partners, as well as individual experts who work closely with the TCB Branch.

Gender equality and women’s empowerment are priorities for the Australian Government in its foreign policy and overseas aid program. One of the best ways to promote economic growth and to achieve stronger communities and societies is to empower women and girls. This publication highlights how Australia is supporting women’s economic empowerment in the Indo-Pacific region. It includes examples of positive results being achieved through: *improving women’s livelihoods *education and skills for economic participation *women’s entrepreneurship and involvement in private sector development *supporting women business leaders.

This document aims to help development professionals design trade capacity-building programs that respond to the clear-cut case for equalizing economic conditions for men and women. A growing body of evidence shows that improving opportunities for women to become wage-earners, entrepreneurs, traders, professionals, and leaders improves not only their individual livelihoods, but also the prosperity and well-being of societies. As the largest single-country provider of trade capacity-building assistance in the world, the United States has long supported efforts across the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia to access the global trading system and embrace trade as an engine of growth and development. At the same time, the United States is deeply committed to inclusive systems for economic growth that enable men and women alike to seize the opportunities inherent in an open, dynamic, and market-based economy.

This publication examines the Swedish development cooperation with the Middle East and North Africa which will contribute to strengthened democracy, increased respect for human rights and sustainable development that improve the prospects for peace, stability and freedom in the region. The target areas and initiatives the Government has chosen to focus on aim to counteract the fundamental causes of conflict and contribute to favourable developments in the region. The strategy will apply to the period 2016–2020.