In April, the US government announced unprecedented tariff increases on imports, framed as being directed to countries. But what about the millions of people within the countries who depend on exports for their livelihoods? This article recalls how women workers are so vulnerable – noting that this is no accident but rather an inherent feature of the liberalized trading system as we know it.
Done well, Sustainability Impact Assessments (SIAs) of trade agreements can provide useful insights and help craft inclusive, sustainable trade policy. The recent SIA of the EFTA-Thailand trade agreement provides an opportunity to reflect on what works and what doesn’t.
E-commerce is touted as offering new and advantageous opportunities for women. But what do WTO e-commerce negotiations really hold for women’s rights?...
The World Bank’s recently-published report on the distributional impact of trade is welcome; all the more so that it says what we in the human rights community have long known: benefits of trade are distributed unequally, creating winners and losers.
As gender-related provisions in trade agreements become more frequent, we ask how well-suited they are to achieving gender equality objectives. We suggest that CEDAW offers a metric against which to measure their effectiveness.
States tend to ratify new trade agreements with little heed for their human rights obligations. Impact assessment can help ensure consistency between these two bodies of law.
The appointment of the first woman WTO Director-General sends a strong signal that equality between men and women can be achieved. But to truly empower women, WTO leadership must address how trade can entrench or reduce structural gender imbalances in the economy.
La négociation d'un accord commercial entre l’AELE et le Mercosur a suscité de l'inquiétude quant aux impacts de l'accord sur la forêt amazonienne et les...