亚开行-二十国集团国家的性别主流化和贸易便利化（英）-2023.11-13页_301kb

Nisha Taneja et al. (ICRIER, India): Gender Mainstreaming in Trade Facilitation for G20 Countries

Policy Brief Summary

• Introduction: Trade touches women's lives daily, presenting unique challenges in cross-border trade. Applying a gender lens to trade facilitation measures is crucial to address these barriers and boost women's participation in global trade, impacting economic growth and development. G20 countries have framed policies against gender inequalities but lagged in explicitly addressing women in trade contexts compared to other commitments, except through initiatives outside G20 communiqués. Their endorsement of the WTO's Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA, 2017) lacks inherent gender provisions, though implementation could incorporate a gender dimension.

• Key Findings & Recommendations:

  • Mainstreaming Needed: While G20 members focus broadly on gender equality, they have not fully integrated it into trade facilitation, leaving women's specific trade constraints unaddressed. Explicit G20 commitments on integrating a gender lens into trade facilitating measures are missing.
  • Low Gender Mainstreaming in TFA Implementation: An analysis of G20 countries' TFA implementation using the UN's Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation Global Survey reveals low levels of implementing gender-specific measures (around 25-40%). Most implemented measures are only partial or based on pilots.
  • Data Barriers: Countries report "Don't Know" or "Data Not Available" frequently concerning gender/equality statistics, hindering comparability and evidence-based policymaking.
  • Best Practices: Review of India, Germany, Indonesia, the US, Australia, and the EU highlights various proactive measures. These include:
    • Policy Integration: India's NTFAP including gender inclusiveness, Germany's Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) for trade agreements, and the European Union's embedding of gender into sustainability provisions in FTAs.
    • Specific Measures: Training programs targeting women traders, mentoring initiatives (China), using assessment tools (Indonesia), and promoting women-focused networks.
  • G20 Commitment Recommendations: The G20 should:
    • Explicitly Commit: Include "addressing specific concerns of female traders" in the G20 Communiqué, fostering thematic discussions in the Trade and Investment Working Group (TIWG).
    • Best Practice Sharing: Jointly analyze and adopt each other's successful strategies for gender mainstreaming.
    • Data Improvement: Mandate full participation/complete responses in global UN surveys on gender/equality to enhance data quality and access.
    • Trade Agreement Action: Collaborate to include dedicated gender chapters or provisions in future FTAs, building on existing practices (14/20 members already have some).
    • Impact Assessment: Conduct gender-specific impact assessments alongside traditional sustainability analyses.

• Conclusion: G20 members, representing over 75% of global trade, should strategically leverage their collective strength. By integrating a gender dimension into trade facilitation, policies (including FTAs, foreign trade, logistics), NTFC membership, data sharing, and aligning with UN frameworks like the TFA and SDGs, they can significantly enhance women's access to trade opportunities and lead global inclusive development.