The World Trade Organization (WTO) recently reached a historic agreement at its 11th Ministerial Conference held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The agreement has been heralded as a milestone in international trade because it is the first time in the history of the WTO that such a multilateral arrangement has been made. This article will provide a summary of the key aspects of the WTO agreement.
The agreement has been dubbed the Buenos Aires Declaration on Trade and Women`s Economic Empowerment. The main objective of the agreement is to promote trade policies that are gender-inclusive and are aimed at empowering women economically. The declaration contains several important points that highlight the commitment of WTO member countries to promoting gender equality.
One of the key points of the declaration is the establishment of a Women`s Economic Empowerment Framework, which will provide a structure for the collection and analysis of gender-disaggregated data on trade and will also promote gender analysis of trade policies. This will enable policymakers to identify and address the specific challenges that women face in the global trading system. The framework will also help governments to design and implement policies that are more inclusive for women.
Another important aspect of the agreement is the commitment of WTO members to promote the participation of women-owned businesses in international trade. WTO member countries have pledged to provide technical assistance and capacity building to such businesses to help them overcome the barriers that they face in accessing international markets.
The agreement also recognizes the importance of promoting the role of women in trade negotiations. It calls for the inclusion of representatives of women`s organizations in the negotiations process to ensure that the perspectives and concerns of women are taken into account.
In conclusion, the Buenos Aires Declaration on Trade and Women`s Economic Empowerment represents an important step towards promoting gender-inclusive trade policies. The establishment of a Women`s Economic Empowerment Framework and the commitment to promoting the participation of women-owned businesses in international trade are significant achievements that are expected to have a positive impact on the lives of women around the world. The inclusion of women in trade negotiations is also an important step towards ensuring that the voices of women are heard in the global trading system.