The recent training course aimed at enhancing skills and sharing experiences among officials focused on the interplay between trade and gender equality. Participants gained insights into how trade impacts men and women differently, as well as how gender-responsive trade policies can promote women's economic growth and poverty reduction.
The program provided an overview of the World Trade Organization's work on trade and gender, emphasizing the social aspects of these issues. It included tools for designing, developing, and implementing gender-responsive trade policies. The course also covered policies to support women entrepreneurs and explored the connection between trade, climate change, and gender-based violence.
Participants exchanged experiences on women's economic empowerment and discussed integrating gender issues into trade policymaking. They developed tailored roadmaps to help their governments achieve gender equality in trade.
Case studies and group exercises examined women's empowerment in various sectors such as agriculture, tourism, fisheries, and male-dominated fields like mining. Claudia Guillermina Parra Silva from Peru praised the course for outlining mechanisms to implement gender-responsive policies effectively. She noted that group work facilitated practical application of theory through discussions with officials from Latin America and Africa.
Felipe Sergio Amaya Gómez from Colombia found the course content enriching. He highlighted that it equipped participants with tools to identify obstacles faced by women in international trade, aiding measures to enhance women's participation.
Francisco Javier Vicencio Macaya from Chile stated that the knowledge acquired would be instrumental in promoting Chile's Feminist Foreign Policy by introducing gender provisions in trade agreements. He emphasized its importance for deepening innovation in implementing a gender perspective within Chile's trade policy.
Carolina María Rosales Rodriguez from Guatemala stressed the significance of achieving not only gender equality but also equity. She underscored empowering women economically by providing equal opportunities in trade as men receive.