INF/TGE/COM/9  
 
11 April 2024  
(24-3037) Page: 1/5 
Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender  Original: English  
 
INTERNATIONAL PRIZE FOR GENDER EQUALITY IN TRADE  
CONCEPT NOTE  
The following communication, dated 11 April 2024, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegations of Cabo Verde, El Salvador and the United Kingdom.  
 
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1  BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT  
In the context of International Women's  Day 2024, the Co -Chairs of the Informal Working Group on  
Trade and Gender (IWG) launched the International Prize for Gender Equality in Trade , at the 
meeting of the IWG  held on 6 March 2024 .1 
 
Based on a set of eight criteria, t he Prize will recogni ze the best and most impactful 
gender -responsive national trad e policy , export programme  or aid for trade project  (thereafter 
policy, programme or project)  adopted  and implemented by WTO Members as well as observer 
governments  in support of women's inclusion in trade and women's (economic) empowerment.  
 
2  ELIGIBILITY  
• only WTO Members or observer governments are invited to apply for the Prize ;  
• international and regional organi zations are not eligible to apply for  the Prize ;  
• applications can be put forward by:  
­ ministries (trade or other ); 
­ national or regi onal governmental agenc ies, institutions or bodies (includes customs, 
statistics bureaus , etc); 
• joint applications between several governmental institutions and ministries are possible and 
welcomed.  
 
3  DETAILS ABOUT THE SUBMISSIONS  
3.1  Overall information  
Using the Application Form (Annex 1) , Prize submissions must demonstrate a great achievement in 
providing solutions to (economically ) empower women through trade . They must also describe how 
the policy, programme or project was formulated and implemented.   
 
Submissions must include detailed information on the following (as outlined in the application form):  
 
• description and key features of the policy, programme or project ;  
• challenges overcame in designing/adopting the policy, programme or project ; 
• implementation processes and results of the policy programme or project ;  
• description of the main benefits of the policy, programme or project for women ;  
• description of how the policy, programme or project contributes sustainable development, 
poverty reduc tion and gender equality ; 
• explanation of how the project meets each of the 8 Prize criteria published in this concept 
note (see section below).  
 
1 Following c ommunication s from the IWG Co -Chairs on  12 and 29 February 2024 . INF/TGE/COM/9  
 
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  3.2  Applicants' choice of instrument to submit: one out of three  
Applicants will have the choice to submit only one  of the following three instruments:  
 
• gender -responsive national trade policy ; 
• export programme ; 
• aid for trade project . 
 
3.3  Four Prize categories  
Applicants will be able to apply to one of the five different Prize categories (see below).  Governments 
are invited to apply once and under one category only, using the list provided in the table below . 
Multiple applications from the sa me government in different categories or in the same category will 
be rejected.  
 
Category table  
Category 1  Female entrepreneurs (includes female farmers)  
Category 2  Sustainable development and gender.  
Category 3  Trade facilitation  
Category 4  Services in trade  
Special prize category  Youth empowerment from a gender perspective  
 
4  SELECTION COMMITTEE AND REVIEW PROCESS  
4.1  Selection committee  
The Co -Chairs of the IWG will constitute the selection committee. The Co-Chairs will be supported 
by the WTO Secretariat.  
 
The WTO Secretariat will gather the applications and organi ze them by region, country, prize 
category, etc. based on the information provided by applicants . 
 
4.2  Criteria for the applications' review  
Applications will be reviewed based on various criteria described in the table below:  
 
Criteria table  
N° Criteria  Description  
1 Women's trade inclusion  
 Impact/results achieved and generated in positively including women 
in trade and allowing them to be nefit from the opportunities created 
by trade.   
2 Women's empowerment  
 Positive contribution to social, political and cultural empowerment of 
women as well as relevance to UN Sustainable Development Goal 5  
3 Partnerships  
 Inter-ministerial collaboration and/or partnerships with external 
stakeholders from design to implemen tation of policy, programme or 
project  
4 Replication  Ability of the policy, programme or project to be replicated  
5 Innovation  Innovative approach to policy, programme or project making  
6 Communication  
 Does the policy, programme or project include a communications 
and/or media strategy ? How well the applicant informed its target(s) 
about its actions undertaken as part of the policy, programme or 
project ?  
7 Informal Working Group on 
Trade and Gender  Link with at least one of the four work pillars of the IWG  
 
8 Learning  What did the government learn from this policy making/programme 
designing/project implementation experience ? 
 
Other criteria to be taken into consideration during the review:  
 
• regional balance and representation amongst the winners ; 
• categor y of the policy, programme or project . 
 INF/TGE/COM/9  
 
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  4.3  Applications' Scoring  
A score from 0 to 5 (0=not met/no information; 1=poor; 2=weak; 3=medium; 4=good; 5=very 
good), together with a justification, will be given for each criterion.  
 
An overall score for each submission will be calculated as a mathematical average across the eight 
criteria (sum of criteria score/10).  
 
5  TIMELINE  
Action  Date 
Launch of Prize  6 March 2024  
Launch of application process  11 April  2024 
Applications' deadline  19 June 2024  
Applications' review  13 June to 17 July 2024  
Informal announcement to winners (to prepare for the Prize 
ceremony) and formal communications to the unsuccessful 
applicants  17 to 19 July 2024  
Prize ceremony (at the WTO Public Forum)  10-13 September 2024 – date tbc  
 
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  INF/TGE/COM/9  
 
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  ANNEX 1  
INTERNATIONAL PRIZE FOR GENDER EQUALITY IN TRADE  
APPLICATION FORM  
 
PART I   
GENERAL INFORMATION ON APPLICANT  
 
Name of applying organisation(s) government 
agency(ies) and body(ies)  
 
Note: in case of joint applications, please add the 
names of all the applicant authorities   
Country/Separate Customs Territory  
  
Contact person/focal point  
 
Note: in case of joint applications, please add the 
names of all contact persons/focal points in all 
applicant authorities  First name:  
 
Last name:  
 
Mobile phone:  
 
Email:  
 
 
PART II   
SELECT THE PRIZE CATEGORY FOR WHICH YOU ARE 
APPLYING FOR  
 
Category 1  Female entrepreneurs (includes 
female farmers)   
Category 2  Sustainable Development and 
gender equality   
Category 3  Trade facilitation  
  
Category 4  Trade in services  
  
Special Prize Category  Youth empowerment from a gender 
perspective   
 
PART III   
TYPE OF INSTRUMENT PRESENTED  
 
Gender -responsive trade policy  
  
Export programme  
  
Aid for Trade project  
  
 
PART IV   
APPLICATION  
 
Overall description and key features of the policy, 
programme or project ( no more than 500 words ). 
  
 
 
 
 
Please describe the challenges you overcame (and 
how you overcame them) when designing/adopting 
the policy, programme or project ( no more than 
500 words ). 
  
 
 
 
 
 
Please explain the implementation processes and 
results of the policy programme or project ( no 
more than 500 words ). 
  
 
 
 
 
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  INTERNATIONAL PRIZE FOR GENDER EQUALITY IN TRADE  
APPLICATION FORM  
Please describe the main benefits of the policy, 
programme or project for women in general and 
for your target audience in particular ( no more 
than 500 words ). 
  
 
 
 
 
 
Please describe how does the policy, programme or 
project contribute to, sustainable development, 
poverty reduction and gender equality ( no more 
than 500 words ).  
  
 
 
 
 
 
Please explain how your  
policy, programme, project meet each of the 8 
Prize criteria published and described in the Prize 
concept note.  
 
 Criteria 1: Women's trade 
inclusion  
 no more than 200 words.  
 
Criteria 2: Women's 
empowerment  
 no more than 200 words.  
Criteria 3: Partnerships  
 no more than 200 words.  
Criteria 4: Replication  
 no more than 200 words.  
Criteria 5: Innovation  
 no more than 200 words.  
Criteria 6: Communication  
 no more than 200 words.  
Criteria 7: IWG  
 no more than 200 words.  
Criteria 8: Learning  
 no more than 200 words.  
 
PART V   
MOTIVATION AND RATIONAL ESSAY   
 
Please explain in no more than 500 words  what is the rationale behind the development, adoption and 
implementation of the gender -responsive trade policy/export programme/aid for trade project.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
PART VI    
SUPORTING DOCUMENTS  
 
Please attach any documents, photos and other material that would support your application (recommended, not 
compulsory)  
 
PART VII   
SIGNATURE  
 
 
Applications will need to be OFFICIALLY signed by the applicant Authority(ies). By signing this form, the applicant 
Authority(ies ) certifies(y) that all the information included is complete and correct.  
 
Date, signature & STAMP (Authority(ies))  
 
 
 
 
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