Canada empowers women in international trade
The Government of Canada promotes an inclusive approach to women in international trade.
Through this policy, Canada seeks to achieve the goal of poverty reduction, the empowerment of women and girls, and the promotion of gender equality as the most effective approach to achieving that goal, according to a report of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
To ensure that Canada’s international assistance meets the best possible conditions to achieve these objectives, the country focuses its efforts in six areas of action, namely:
- Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
- Human dignity.
- Win-win growth.
- Initiatives aimed at the environment and climate.
- Inclusive governance.
- Peace and security.
Women
The Win-Win Growth Sphere, whereby Canada promotes women’s economic rights and leadership, fosters inclusive markets and entrepreneurship, and enhances resilience and financial security, is the area of greatest relevance direct to Aid for Trade considerations.
Other policy elements help to foster an enabling environment for trade, such as activities that take place in the context of the environment, the fight against climate change and inclusive governance.
Canada’s international feminist aid policy also provides for a series of measures aimed at ensuring that women have more equitable access to capital markets, technology, business development services, leadership and training opportunities, in order to that they can fully benefit from development finance.
Along with this policy, Canada’s inclusive approach to trade seeks to ensure that all segments of society are able to seize the opportunities that trade and investment create and that trade policies contribute to broader economic priorities, social and environmental.
Trade agreements
In this context, Canada’s trade agreements include provisions on labor rights, the environment, SMEs, gender equality, and indigenous peoples.
In addition, Canada prioritizes the participation of different groups in the economy, including women, indigenous-owned businesses and SMEs, and helps them connect with global value chains and markets.
Canada will continue to apply this inclusive approach to trade and support a rules-based trading system by strengthening bilateral and multilateral collaboration and participation in international economic forums such as the WTO, the G-20, the Organization Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC).
Likewise, this approach enables the benefits of trade to be extended to emerging economies and developing countries, and contributes to economic diversification, inclusive growth, and an environment in which the gains from trade are more sustainable and more widely shared. while recognizing the importance of innovative partnerships with the private sector to mobilize expertise and resources.
In 2017-2018, Canada invested $ 639 million in win-win growth initiatives.
Among other things, these contributions have led to greater participation of women in the economy and an increase in their income, the strengthening of women-owned businesses and the capacity-building of women in leadership positions.
