Trade and gender: Perspectives for Sustainable Growth and Poverty Reduction

UNCTAD XII

20 – 25 April 2008

Addressing the Opportunities and Challenges
of Globalisation for Development

Trade and gender: Perspectives for
Sustainable Growth and Poverty Reduction

22 April 2008, 13:00 – 15:00
Accra International Conference Centre, Accra, Ghana

A collaborative parallel event organized by
UNCTAD and the Commonwealth Secretariat

Background Document

Summary
Gender equality is increasingly understood to be critical to growth, development and the achievement of the MDGs.  Recently, this has also impacted on the recognition   of the need to focus on the gender implications and impacts of trade agreements and policies. This is reflected in the inclusion of as focus on gender in the preamble of the Cotonou Agreement, the establishment of a UN Inter-agency Task Force on Gender and Trade and the organisation of a round table during UNCTAD XI to focus on the relationship between gender and trade. At UNCTAD XII, the gender and trade debate will be re-appraised within the context of sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction.

Purpose
• The panel will provide a platform to discuss gender, trade and development  in the context of economic growth and poverty reduction through sharing knowledge and experiences at the national and international level in order to ascertain the continued barriers to incorporating and promoting gender and development perspectives within economic processes and trade policy formulation, and to outline suggestions for achieving a positive integration of a gender lens at the national and international level. 

• intended participants/target audience include government policy makers, negotiators, development agencies and civil society.

Expected Outcomes
1. Understanding the gender dimensions of trade in achieving both sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction.
2. Understanding the nexus policy role of government in reducing the gender gap within poverty while increasing macro growth through trade.
3. Re-inforcing the importance of access to international markets for women  producers.
4. Suggestions/recommendations on how to influence and incorporate successful sensitisation of gender issues within economic processes and in trade policy and trade negotiations.

Participants
Ms Rachel N. Mayanja
Assistant Secretary-General
Special Adviser on Gender Issues and
Advancement of Women

Shri Gopal K Pillai
Secretary (Commerce)
Department of Commerce, India

Savior Mwamba
Director 
Civil Society Trade Network of Zambia/One World Action

Ms Mohau Pheko
Independent Economist
Gender and Trade Network in Africa (GENTA)

Chair: Ransford Smith
Deputy Secretary General
Commonwealth Secretariat

Note
Mr Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General, UNCTAD has been asked to close the session (tbc)

Organising Partners
Mrs Sarojini Ganju Thakur
Head of Gender
Social Transformation Programmes Division
Commonwealth Secretariat
Tel: 00 44 (0)207 747 6543
Email: s.thakur@commonwealth.int

Ms Fatimah Kelleher
Programme Officer
Gender, Economic Empowerment and Poverty Reduction
Social Transformation Programmes Division
Tel: 00 44 (0)207 747 6221
Email: f.kelleher@commonwealth.int

Ms. Anh-Nga Tran-Nguyen
Director
Division for Services Infrastructure for Development
and Trade Efficiency
UNCTAD
Tel: 00 41 (0)22 917 5943/4544
Email: Anh-Nga.Tran-Nguyen@unctad.org

Ms Genevieve Feraud
Head
New Technologies, Training and Capacity
UNCTAD
Tel: 00 41 (0)22 917 20 42
Email:Genevieve.feraud@unctad.org

Venue Contact Details
Accra International Conference Centre
P O Box: C
1054 Cantonments
Accra, Ghana

Tel: +233 21 669600/669 700
Fax: +233 21 669825

Mr. Francis Dadzie
Mr. Emmanuel Afedzi

Tel.: Tel: +233 244 22 44 24 or +233 209 02 07 07
E-mail: info.UNCTADXII@Ghana50.gov.gh

Provisional Agenda

1300 Welcome
Commonwealth Deputy Secretary General, Ransford Smith, Chair

1310 Opening Statement
Ms Rachel Mayanaja, UN Special Advisor on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women

1320 Gender and Trade as Smart Economics? Moving beyond the rhetoric towards the evidence
Mohau Pheko, Economist

1340 Real lives, Real Impacts: Civil Society Perspectives on Trade Policy and Poverty Reduction
Savior Mwamba, Civil Society Trade Network, Zambia / One World Action

1400 Equity, Poverty Alleviation and Trade for Growth – Challenges in Policy Formulation at the National Level
Shri Gopal Pillai, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, India 

1420 Discussion

1500 Closing Remarks