Current initiatives
National and international advocacy
There has been an increase in the number of intergovernmental and development institutions that are interested in gender and trade work. This is largely due to the advocacy efforts of gender equality campaigners and women's organisations. For example, organisations like the International Gender and Trade Network (IGTN) and Women in Development Europe (WIDE) have used impact analysis tools to integrate gender considerations into trade agreements.
Gender and trade-related activities of multilateral and national agencies
Multilateral agencies such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) have implemented gender mainstreaming policies in their activities to strengthen the rights of women workers.
Fair/ethical trade schemes
Fair or ethical trade programmes have now been recognised by the EU Parliament as an important part of development aid. In addition to the benefits expected from the expansion of this fledgling market for small producers in developing countries, most fair/ethical trade schemes also include gender in their guidelines.
Labour standards and unions
Strong labour unions have been central to supporting workers' rights in the context of globalisation. However, despite their demands, and the ratification of the ILO conventions on workers' rights, most labour standards are currently not enforced in the production process. Unions generally remain male- dominated and fail to address women's issues.
Supporting women producers
A variety of programmes are being developed to help counter the barriers that prevent women from benefiting fully from market access opportunities. Those promoting these programmes include UNIDO (UN Industrial Development Organisation). Networking is also a key strategy to increase the bargaining and market power of women producers and workers. This enables women to have access to larger trading networks, enabling more secure market positions through the establishment of cross-national and international alliances with other producers.
