The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) is hosting some 50 trade officials from across the Region for a workshop focusing on the importance of gender equality in achieving national and regional trade goals and objectives.
The overall objective of the four-day workshop, “Gender Mainstreaming in Caribbean Trade Policies and Programmes: Promoting Gender Equality for Improved Trade and Development”, is to increase awareness of the value of mainstreaming gender into the Caribbean’s trade and economic development agenda, and to improve participants’ gender mainstreaming skills. The training seminar is being held in partnership with the International Trade Centre (ITC) who will lead the facilitation of the workshop.
Among the expected results of the training will be a collective position paper affirming commitment to gender equality in the context of trade and a programme of technical support for integrating gender in trade policies and export strategies.
CDB Gender Equality Advisor, Denise Noel-De Bique said this seminar is in line with CDB’s Gender Equality Policy and Operational Strategy. “The Bank is committed to working with its Borrowing Member Countries, development partners and regional institutions in a responsive and collaborative manner, to analyse the relationship between socio-economic development and gender inequality. In the context of the trade sector, this approach helps identify areas for policy and regulatory reform aimed at closing gender gaps and reducing gender discrimination in access to productive domestic markets and in countries’ expansion into regional and global markets. We believe this will contribute to increased competitiveness that is more inclusive of women-owned businesses, and promote economic growth and poverty reduction in the Region.”
The first of two workshops to be implemented in the Caribbean, is based on the needs of the trade sector identified through the work of CDB’s Technical Cooperation Division and ITC’s Women and Trade program. Along with senior policy makers from the Ministry of Trade in the relevant territories, the event also targets operational staff from other trade support institutions and agencies.
ITC representative Meg Jones said, “Until recently, gender has been largely undervalued in mainstream economics. This has resulted, in part, from the assumption that everyone in society would benefit equally from higher rates of economic growth. As a result of deeper research and analysis promoted by the fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, the value of gender mainstreaming has become apparent, with gender equality now a priority of national governments, development agencies and institutions. It is also aligned to ITC’s Gender Mainstreaming Policy and Action Plan and its commitment to provide relevant training to its partners.”
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