WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/24/Add.1
21 April 2011  
 
(11-2079) 
Committee on Trade and Development 
Aid for Trade Original:   English 
 
 
 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE 
 
Report and Recommendations arising from the Joint ITC-WTO Expert Roundtable Meeting  
on the Gender Dimension of Aid for Trade1 
 
Addendum  
 
1. An Expert Roundtable on the Gender Dimension of Aid for Trade was jointly organized by 
the International Trade Centre (ITC) and World Tr ade Organization (WTO), with the support of the 
Governments of the Republic of Rwanda and th e United Kingdom. The meeting took place at WTO 
on 25 October 2010, with over 35 expert resource pe rsons and observers from the public and  private 
sectors.  The following is a report of the r ecommendations arising fr om the expert group. 
I. OBJECTIVE OF THE ROUNDTABLE:  ENGENDERING AID FOR TRADE  
2. Aid for Trade helps developing countries addr ess supply-side bottlenecks and boost their 
capacity to take advantage of expanded trade oppo rtunities. Various studies have highlighted that 
trade impacts are not gender-neutral. Mainstreami ng a gender dimension in support can improve the 
impact and effectiveness of Aid for Trade.  
3. National development plans, poverty reduction st rategies and national export strategies, that 
take into account gender realities and relationshi ps are better placed to unlock women's export 
potential. Impediments typically include accessing th e opportunities and resources necessary to trade 
and the capacity to leverage those. Examples range from access to trade information, transport and 
finance to not being included in consultative proces ses that lead to the selection of companies that 
participate in government sponsored trade missions. Building the capacity of women to make use of 
new opportunities is also an important success fact or. Specific monitoring and evaluation indicators 
are also needed to evaluate the percentage of Aid-for-Trade funds  that are allocated to tackle 
gender-based constraints to trade; and to assess the gendered impacts of Aid for Trade interventions.  
II. WHAT DID THE ROUNDTABLE SEEK TO ACCOMPLISH?  
4. Experts at the Roundtable sought to highlight st rategic actions for gender mainstreaming that 
could be used by stakeholders in the Aid for Trade Initiative. The Roundtable was organized around 
the presentation of case stories to assist in id entifying approaches to gender mainstreaming drawn 
from country-based and regional illustrations of how wome n in trade can be better integrated into and 
benefit from Aid for Trade. These can then be used  by governments, agencies and others working to 
achieve positive outcomes that benefit women as well as men.  
5. Case stories principally focused on overcoming gender based constraints in trade policy and 
regulations, trade development and in buildi ng productive capacities. Written as evidence-based 
                                                      
1 More information on the Expert Roundtable can be found on the ITC website at 
http://www.intracen.org/projects/wo men-and-trade/aidfortrade/.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/24/Add.1 
Page 2  
 
  experiences of women in trade, they will be submitte d as part of the WTO/OECD call for case stories 
in preparation for the Third Global Review of Aid for Trade.  
6. The experts identified potential ways for enha ncing gender responsive approaches to utilizing 
Aid for Trade and call upon Governments, in  their resource allocation to consider:  
• Equitable and sustainable Aid for Trade delivered through a deeper consideration of 
women's contributions to trade, and what can be done to overcome gender-based 
constraints.  
 
• Regional integration policies include an acknowledgement of informal women 
cross-border traders.  
 
• Undertake quantified analyses of women's contribution to formal and informal 
economies.  
 
• Trade infrastructure and trade facilitation initiatives meet the needs of both men and 
women traders.  
 
• Commitment to supplier diversity as a mechanism for delivering development 
objectives through global supply chains.  
 
• Undertake gender sensitive value chain an alyses to inform the development of 
Aid-for-Trade projects and programmes.  
 
• Build the capacity of rural women and vul nerable groups to access the resources and 
opportunities they need to trade.  
 
• Earmark funds for women in all responses to the global economic crises; and ensure 
appropriate delivery mechanisms are in place and functioning to channel trade 
finance to women.  
 
• Build the capacity of Member States of the WTO to respond to their concomitant 
obligations under international economic a nd human rights laws, particularly with 
regard to the realisation of women's economic rights, in the trade domain.  
 
III. OUTPUT  
7. The Expert Roundtable highlighted the importa nt role of partnerships and consultative 
practices. As such the meeting resulted in the establishment of an open network of gender and trade 
experts that governments, intergovernmental orga nizations and others c ould engage to provide 
advice/implement activities/and work on monitoring  and evaluation to secure benefits to women 
under Aid for Trade.  
8. A compendium of case stories prepared by experts, that can be found on-line at 
http://www.intracen.org/projects/wome n-and-trade/aidfortrade/.   
9. The Expert Roundtable allowed for a prelimin ary process to emerge towards a methodology 
or results framework with suggested indicators to  track impacts upon women, and better monitor how 
women can benefit more from activities, practices and processes inherent in the Aid for Trade Initiative.  Case stories and discussion allowed for the emergence of many of these potential  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/24/Add.1 
 Page 3 
 
 
  indicators that could be useful as m odels to be replicated by others . It was acknowledged that this area 
requires further work.  
10. Reporting to the Committee: The outputs arisi ng from the "Expert Roundtable on the Gender 
Dimension of Aid for Trade" were shared w ith the Committee on Trade and Development in a 
specific session on gender mainstreaming as part of the "Workshop on Mainstreaming of Aid for 
Trade" on 26 October 2010.   
IV. THE WAY FORWARD:  LINKING TO THE AID-FOR-TRADE INITIATIVE  
11. It is hoped that through the case stories and recommendations, governments would be 
inspired to take the necessary ne xt steps to unlock women's export potential so that they can better 
contribute to economic and human development. It was hoped that the recommendations of the 
Roundtable could provide useful input into subseque nt meetings on Aid for Trade both at the regional 
and global levels, including the Third Global Review of  Aid for Trade, and be utilized by this Expert 
Network.   
12. The International Trade Centre committed to  facilitating exchanges amongst the Gender and 
Aid for Trade Expert Group and reporting to  the WTO Committee on Trade and Development 
progress made and results achieved.2   
13. Case stories included:  
- Engendering National Export Strategies: The case of Uganda. 
- Increasing the numbers of women agronomists to better address gender issues: CGIAR. - Making trade organizations more gende r responsive: The case story of ATPC. 
- Investing technology in poor women: cell phones, for business transactions.  
- Assisting Banks and Finance companies to assist women's small businesses:  IFC.  
- The Commonwealth Secretariat advances trade and gender.  - Lessons learned from trade policies and their impacts on women.  - Building capacity for linking women with export markets.  - Designing Regional Economic Integration Tr ade mechanisms that work for women. 
- Targeting Women in building productive capacity can make a difference. DMT.  
- Building capacities for linking women w ith Export Markets:  ACCESS.  
- Empowering Young Women in better trade paradigms through technology:  PLAN.  
- Special Export Zones and their impact upon women in the garment industry:  The case story  of garments in Andhra Pradesh in India.  - Women Informal Traders Transcending African Bo rders; Myths Facts and Ways  Forward for 
 ICBT.  
- Gender Mainstreaming through Training of SADC Trade officials and policy makers.  - Gender Budgets and the Government of India.  - Support to agricultural sector supply chains in Mali.  - Entrepreneurial Development of Coop erative Federations in Guatemala.  
- Pro-poor Horticultural Export Value Chains in Egypt 
- Banking on Women Pays Off: Creating Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs 
 
                                                      
2 For further information please contact Meg Jones, Women and Trade Programme Manager, 
International Trade Centre, E-mail:  jones@intracen.org. WT/COMTD/AFT/W/24/Add.1 
Page 4  
 
  ANNEX 
 
GENDER EXPERT GROUP MEMBERS (AND TOPIC OF CASE STORY)  
AS AT 25 OCTOBER 2010 
 
[MEMBERSHIP OF THE GROUP IS OPEN] 
 
Bangladesh  Ms. Naila Chowdhury, Chairman, TeleConsult Group Bangladesh  
'Telecommunications: A way forward for women in business and banking' 
Botswana  Ms. Magdeline Matibela, Head of Gender Unit SADC  
Canada  Ms. Nancy Spence, Consultant, Canada  
Egypt  Dr. Maya Morsy, Programme Coordinator, UNIFEM Egypt  
'Leveraging government procurement spending to empower women in 
Egypt'  
Ethiopia  Ms. Amal Elbeshbishi, Regional Advisor on Trade, UNECA Ethiopia  
'Building Productive Capacities and Ec onomic Infrastructure: Integrating 
the Gender Dimension' - Chair  
India  Ms. Rashmi Banga, Senior Economist, UNCTAD India  
'What is measured, matters': Baselines, targets and indicators tracking the 
results of trade-related polices and activities'  
Ms. Benita Sharma, Minister of Women and Children, Government of India  
'Gender budgeting in India and the impact on integrating gender in trade'  
Kenya  Mr. Joseph Masinjila, Executive Director CCGD Kenya  
Rwanda  Ms. Oda Gasinzigwa, Chief Gender M onitor, Gender Monitoring Office, 
Government of Rwanda  
'Gender and Trade: The Challenges Ahead'  
Switzerland Ms. Meg Jones, Women and Trade Programme Adviser, ITC  
Ms. Mariama Williams, Senior Research  Fellow, South Centre, Geneva 
Uganda  Ms. Rosemary Mutyabule, Director, Bu siness Advisory Services, Enterprise 
Uganda  'Integrating Gender into a National Export Strategy – the Ugandan Experience'  
Ms. Dorothy Tuma, Consultant DMT Consultants  
Ms. Vanessa Erogbogbo, Development Ec onomist, Independent Consultant  
'Financing the Work through Aid for Trade: Gender as a Priority for 
Donor and Beneficiary Governments'  
United Kingdom  Ms. Marilyn Carr, Development Econo mist, Independent Consultant  
'Lessons Learned in Building Productive Women's Capacity' 
Ms. Esther Eghobamien, Head of Gender 
‘Gender Budgeting and its Impact on Integrating Gender in Trade’ 
Ms. Susan Lawton, CEO, WEConnect, Europe 
Ms. Lindsay Napier, Private Sector Development Adviser, DFID, Government 
of the United Kingdom 
Ms. Keshet Bachan-Dovrat, Project Coordinator – Because I am a Girl Project, Plan International 
United States of America  Ms. Irene Natividad, President, Global Summit of Women  
Ms. Tacko Ndiaye, Programme Specialist Africa Section, UNIFEM NY  
'Considerations for Women Cross Bo rder Traders in Aid for Trade'  
 
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