Source: Tunis Afrique Press
A regional conference on documentation and strategic planning on gender in Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan will be organised by the Centre of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR) on January 30-31.
This conference’s aim is to discuss the impact of international trade agreements on women and trade liberation, CAWTAR said in a press release a copy of which was received by TAP on Monday.
The issue of gender and trade is considered a new research field, the same source added.
The report Women, Business and the Law 2016 revealed that legal disparities between both sexes are huge, with the existence of at least a law depriving women from economic opportunities.
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA)’s report on “Women: Arab Horizon 2030” showed that the economic participation rate of women does not surpass 25%, their participation in management (only 4%) against 27% globally.
According to the same source, women’s representativeness in executive boards of business companies is estimated at 7% against 15% globally.
This meeting will see the presence of representatives of the Women and Trade ministries of participating countries, chambers of trade, professional unions, experts and civil society activists.
It aims to promote women's support and improve their presence in markets.
The event will also be an opportunity to discuss national reports and the regional report on “women’s empowerment, role of men and women and their relations in economic policies and trade agreements”, their adoption and identification of main causes.
This debate further aims to draft a strategic framework based on intervention priorities in mainstreaming gender into trade.