INFORMAL WORKING GROUP ON TRADE AND GENDER
CONVENING
NOTICE
Revision
The following revised Convening Notice dated 20 February 2025, is
being circulated on behalf of Cabo Verde, El Salvador and the United Kingdom.
_______________
The Informal Working Group on Trade and
Gender will hold its first 2025 regular meeting in Room W and through the
Interprefy platform, on Thursday, 27 February 2025 starting at 10 a.m.
The following items are proposed for the
agenda:
1. ADOPTION
OF THE AGENDA
2. CO-CHAIRS'
UPDATE and launch of 2025 work
a._
IWG Annual Report
2024
b._
Launch of the second
edition of the International Prize for Gender Equality in Trade
c._
Launch of the
MC14 consultations and new Work Plan 2025-2026
3. UPDATES BY WTO MEMBERS
a._
United Kingdom's
implementation of Gender Equality in Free Trade Agreements:
i._
Guiding questions
for the discussion
·_
How do you
approach gender equality and women’s economic empowerment in your FTAs?
·_
For example, do
your FTAs include dedicated chapters on gender equality and/or
gender-responsive provisions in other chapters?
·_
If applicable:
_
What actions have
you taken to implement gender equality provisions in FTAs?
_
What challenges
have you faced when implementing FTA gender equality provisions/cooperation?
·_
Do you have any
initiatives to increase the uptake of women-owned businesses utilising FTAs?
ii._
Speakers:
·_
Melissa Mariano,
Head of Gender Equality and SME Trade Policy, UK Department for Business and
Trade
·_
Livia Di Simone,
Senior Trade Policy Adviser on Gender Equality and Multilateral Engagement, UK
Department for Business and Trade
·_
Elizabeth Vega Obe,
Chief Executive Officer, Informed Solutions Group, UK
·_
Shoko Doherty,
Chief Executive Officer, Celtic English Academy, UK
b._
Presentation of
Australia's new International Gender Equality Strategy
4. DEVELOPING
GENDER-RESPONSIVE POLICY TOOLS: PROPOSALS FROM MEMBERS
5. PRESENTATIONS
BY wto external stakeholders
a._
Presentation by
UKODER: Strong Women, Strong Trade (Turkey's first women's association focused
on international trade):
·_
Çiğdem Ağdağ,
President, UKODER
·_
Elif
Abdullahoğlu, Foreign Relations Officer, UKODER
b._
Presentation from
Cabo Verde – Experience of women entrepreneurs in the fisheries sector (tbc)
6. update
on "Women Exporters in the Digital Economy" (weide) fund and
current advancements
a._
Presentation by International
Trade Centre (ITC)
7. INFORMATION
ON WTO SECRETARIAT'S ACTIVITIES
a._
Annual Activity
Report 2024 – main points
b._
Presentation of
2025 Work Programme Trade and Gender Office
c._
Update of the
World Trade Congress on Gender 2025
·_
WTO Trade and
Gender brief
·_
Intervention from
UN Women on the Congress 2025
8. OTHER
BUSINESS
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