A workshop aiming to enhance policymakers' capacity to integrate gender considerations into trade and trade-related policies commenced in Lalitpur on Monday.

The workshop was jointly organised by the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies (MoICS) and the EU-Nepal Trade and Investment Programme with technical support from the International Trade Centre’s SheTrades Initiative.

The first day of the workshop covers key issues related to trade and gender, international conventions, and instruments to promote women’s participation in trade, options, and steps to empower women through policy, and good practices in other countries on gender mainstreaming.

The two-and-a-half-day workshop serves as a vital platform to not only facilitate the understanding of gender mainstreaming within trade policies but also to bolster the efforts of Women’s Business Associations (WBAs) in formulating position papers for policy advocacy.

Within the framework of the event, the survey data collected for SheTrades Outlook will be presented, and its outcomes will be validated by experts and other participants representing government agencies, women’s organisations, and development partners.

The workshop is grounded in ITC’s comprehensive guide for incorporating gender considerations into trade and trade-related policies, strategically designed to advance the cause of women in trade.

Throughout the workshop, policymakers will be able to augment their comprehension of diverse strategies for integrating gender into trade policies.

Additionally, participants will gain insights into global best practices that promote the economic empowerment of women and encourage their greater participation in business.

This workshop is poised to establish a platform for both public and private sector stakeholders to exchange experiences, lessons learned, and insights to enrich the ITC-developed SheTrades Outlook. This forum will offer WBAs an opportunity to deliberate on their policy priorities and formulate their proposition. The paper will also serve as a valuable tool for policy advocacy, presenting recommendations to policymakers across various platforms.

Anticipated outcomes of the workshop encompass enhancing services and policies for women, fostering a conducive environment for women in trading, and advancing gender equality by providing women with greater access to markets.

Speaking on the occasion, Dorothy Tembo, Deputy Executive Director of ITC, said the increased participation of women in trade can’t be achieved without having a gender-responsive and inclusive trade policy.

Gobinda Bahadur Karkee, Joint Secretary at the MoIC, stated that Nepal has made satisfactory strides towards enhancing women’s participation in the public and private sectors, adding synergy among stakeholders is quintessential for effectively implementing women-friendly initiatives to ensure their greater role in the national economy.

Eloisa Astudillo Fernandez, Deputy Head of Cooperation of EU Delegation to Nepal, noted that many international conventions and instruments envisage inclusive and gender-responsive opportunities for women to encourage their role in trade and stressed the need to forge collective efforts among key stakeholder agencies.

She underscored the importance of inclusive trade policies formulation and implementation for sustainable graduation from Least Developed Country- status and achieving Sustainable Develop Goals targets for Nepal.