Chaotic times in global trade: Looking from a gendered lens

The Gender and Trade Coalition, along with co-convenors WIDE+, Regions Refocus, Third World Network, FEMNET, AWID, and IT for Change, are pleased to invite you to a webinar entitled ‘Chaotic times in global trade: Looking from a gendered lens’ on 28 May 2025. It will be held at 12:00 UTC, which is at 8 AM EDT (New York), 9 AM BRT (Rio de Janeiro), 2 PM CEST (Geneva), 3 PM EAT (Nairobi), 5:30 PM IST (New Delhi).

The online webinar will discuss this turbulent episode of global trading system from a gendered lens, to try and understand a bit better what specific impacts may be faced by such marginalized constituencies.

Please register here to receive the Zoom link.

Background

Since April, the world is seeing a massive turmoil in the arena of international trade, triggered by the launch of a set of arbitrary tariffs imposed by the world’s richest country on imports from almost 75 countries, even small island states.

At the same time, while the World Trade Organisation has been no friend of development, the certainty of a multilateral rules-based trading system is in jeopardy. Countries are rushing to sign bilateral trade agreements and competing against friends and foes in the process. Again, these trends adversely affect all Member countries, but developing countries even more so.

Marginalized groups are differentially impacted even from general trade rules. But this extreme state of chaos and competition hurts them even more. This is especially true for women and other constituencies that face gender-based discrimination in their economic and social interactions every day. The way they interact with and are impacted by the trading system is bound to undergo serious shifts in the current scenario. The webinar intends to use a gendered lens to analyse and understand the impacts of the current global trading space.

Speakers

Development challenges:

• Kicking where it hurts most: Agriculture and IP issues, Ranja Sengupta, Third World Network.
• Work and development in global manufacturing and value chains, Nicole Maloba, FEMNET.
• The future of digital policies in the Global South, Anita Gurumurthy, IT for Change.

 View from the regions:

• A regional perspective from Africa, Pauline Vande-Pallen, Third World Network Africa.
• European FTAs as a strategy to tackle Trump’s policies, Edmé Dominguez, WIDE+.
• A view from Latin America, Patricia Muñoz Cabrera, WIDE+.

Moderated by Anita Nayar, Regions Refocus.