GADN: Making trade work for gender equality
(July 2017) With Agenda 2030, governments have pledged to advance gender equality and empower women and girls.
At the same time, they have committed to strengthening international trade and using it as a means to finance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a way that is consistent with existing commitments, including those on women´s rights, and that respects each country´s right to implement policies for sustanaible development.
Trade has the potential to advance gender equality and realise women´s rights by expanding decent work opportunities for women and contributing to sustainable and equitable economic development. However, in many cases this potential has not been fulfilled; trade, and the agreements that establish its rules, have impacted negatively on the lives of many women.
In this briefing, the UK-based „Gender and Development Network“ discusses these concerns and concludes with recommendations on how to develop trade agreements that promote gender equality.