Enhancing the Participation of Women Entrepreneurs and Traders in Government Procurement

In line with Goal 5 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, to achieve gender equality, important advancements were recently made with the adoption of the Joint Declaration on Trade and Women’s Economic Empowerment by over 120 members and observers* of the World Trade Organization (WTO) during the Eleventh Ministerial of the WTO in Buenos Aires in December 2017. 

The Declaration is the result of a coordinated effort by the International Gender Champions Trade Impact Group, co-chaired by the Government of Iceland, the Government of Sierra Leone and the International Trade Centre. The Declaration represents a commitment to share best practices and build the evidence base for more inclusive trade. Over the next two years to support the implementation of the Declaration, a series of six seminars will be held on topics including:

•    Gender-Based Analysis of Trade Policy, 16 March 2018
•    Enhancing Women Entrepreneurs Participation in Public Procurement, 25 June 2018
•    Connecting Women Entrepreneurs to International Value Chains, September 2018
•    Promoting Financial Inclusion for Women, November 2018
•    Women and Trade in Trade Agreements, March 2019
•    Women in Digital Trade, July 2019

These exchanges of best practices will result in a guide to help policy-makers, trade and investment institutions, and businesses make trade more gender-responsive. We invite the trade and development community to join in the discussion towards more inclusive trade.
 
To this end, the Republic of Molodva is pleased to host, in collaboration with the WTO, ITC, ERBD and the International Gender Champions, a workshop on Government Procurement on Monday, June 25th in Room S2 at the WTO. This is the second of a series of workshops of the International Gender Champions Impact Group on Trade towards the next Ministerial Conference.

Full programme 

10:00-10:30 | Opening Session: Government procurement markets and their importance for inclusive economic development: relevance for the Buenos Aires Declaration, Trade and Women's Economic Empowerment

Moderator: François Xavier Ngarambe, Permanent Representative to the WTO of Rwanda and International Gender Champion

Speakers:

1. Roberto Azevêdo, Director General of the World Trade Organization and International Gender Champion
2. Arancha González, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre and International Gender Champion
3. Norbert Seiler, Deputy General Counsel, EBRD
4. Corina Cojocaru, Chargée d'affaires to the WTO Permanent Mission of the Republic of Moldova

10:30-11:15 | Session 1: Understanding the links between trade, government procurement and women empowerment: What are the economic opportunities? What is the role of the GPA?

Moderator: Anoush der Boghossian, WTO Trade and Gender Focal Point

Speakers:

1. Anna Caroline Müller, Legal Affairs Officer, WTO
2. Eliza Niewiadomska, Senior Counsel, Public Procurement, EBRD
3. Viorica Pricop, State Secretary, Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Moldova
4. Paola Subacchi, Senior Research Fellow Chatham House (tbc)

11:15-12:30 | Session 2: Enhancing the Participation of Women Owned and Women Led Businesses in Government Procurement: Practical Lessons and Country Experience

Moderator: Corina Cojocaru, Chargée d'affaires to the WTO Permanent Mission of the Republic of Moldova

Speakers:

1. Trinidad Inostroza, Director of ChileCompra
2. Lee Sanghoon, Head of Research Department, Senior Research Fellow, Korea Institute of Procurement
3. Patric Aeberhard, Equal Pay Expert, Federal Office for Gender Equality, Switzerland
4. Gloria Ndekei, Chair of the Gender Sector Board at KEPSA, Kenya
5. Mariana Rufa, Director of the European Business  Association, Moldova

12:30-13:00 | Closing Session

Speaker: John Newham, Government Procurement Committee Chair and Deputy Permanent Representative to the WTO, Ireland

>> Register by sending an email to trage-gender@wto.org by CoB Thursday 21 June 2018.

Let's continue our collective work on this important issue and walk the walk!

A detailed summary of the workshop with links to the speakers’ presentations and recordings is available here.

We all know how government spending can be an important and positive factor for economic growth and job creation.

International Gender Champion François-Xavier Ngarambe, Ambassador of Rwanda to the United Nations in Geneva, moderated the opening session.

Governments are discovering how procurement policies can be used to break patterns of economic exclusion and deliver real, immediate benefits.

Find the statement by International Gender Champion Roberto Azevêdo, Director General of the World Trade Organization, here.

The WTO Government Procurement Agreement and procurement guidelines from international financial institutions are key ingredients to helping countries re-visit how they address the challenge to boost the participation of women in public procurement.

Find International Gender Champion Arancha González’, Executive Director of the ITC, full statement here.