The purpose of this Resource Paper is to present the collective views of the UN system on the links between gender equality and trade policy. The Paper provides a summary overview of key questions, concerns and policy recommendations while providing reference to related UN resolutions, UN official documentation, publications and websites. The Resource Paper is organized as follows: Section2 briefly reviews the evolution of the international debate on globalization, trade liberalization and their impacts on equitable development, in the context of the United Nations Development agenda as the overarching framework for development. Section3 dwells upon the relevance of integrating ‐ or mainstreaming ‐ gender perspectives in trade policy and discusses the implications of women's economic empowerment on trade and economic growth. Sections 4 analyzes, through a gender lens, some commonly observed impacts of international trade on labour markets and small businesses. Section5 addresses the potential of labour mobility as a tool for women's empowerment in the context of international migration and international trade in services. Section6 further explains the interrelationships between trade policy and gender equality in agriculture. Section7 reflects upon the impact of the financial and economic crisis on women and presents data and examples of policies implemented by governments to address it. Section 8 reviews good practices in incorporating gender considerations in trade policy and trade agreements. Finally Section9 presents a non‐exhaustive list of actions undertaken by the UN system to support the process of making trade policy more responsive to the specific needs of women and instrumental to gender equality and women's empowerment.

This paper intends to inform discussions about gender issues and labour in the ethical trade (ETI) in the UK

This document presents a brief on the importance of supporting women to gain from trade.

The Fairtrade Gender Strategy seeks to attain gender equality and women’s empowerment in producer organizations through building women’s and girls’ power and agency. The strategy aims to deliver a transformative approach to gender mainstreaming in the Fairtrade system.

This publication explores the interconnectedness of gender, trade and public procurement in four steps : -an exploration of the linkages between public procurement and trade, with specific reference to domestic, regional and global dimensions of trade; -a discussion around the extent to which public procurement policies are gender equitable; -a consideration of the importance of integrating gender considerations into public procurement and trade policy. -Lastly, the publication presents four case studies on public procurement policy and practices taken from Commonwealth countries, with a particular emphasis on emerging gender-specific dimensions.