Inclusive trade: SheTrades initiative

Overview

Summary

ITC FOR EVERY WOMAN, EVERYWHERE.

ITC recognizes that Gender Equality is a right in and of itself and a requisite for sustainable development. All women everywhere have the right to a decent income, employment, working conditions and a choice and voice in shaping their economic context. Over the next four years, ITC will support a broad universe of women (entrepreneurs, producers, workers, young women, small-scale cross border traders), by leveraging trade and public procurement, mobilising SheTrades Hubs and high-level champions, and tapping into partnerships. The implementation strategy will be scaled up, inclusive, results-oriented and future-focused.

ITC’s 2022-2025 Strategic Plan identifies gender as one of the five impact areas to deliver an inclusive, prosperous and sustainable future.

Our Vision by 2025 is as follows:

1. ITC is recognised as an agenda-setter on empowering women to trade, through the SheTrades Initiative

2. Through ITC support, BSOs, market partners and financial institutions develop world-class women in trade programmes

3. Women trade more and on better terms, hold more decent jobs, and a stronger voice in trade

4. ITC is a trusted and effective partner to deliver on the A4T/gender agenda

5. ITC has an effective coordinated response to addressing the trade and gender challenge

View more on the Open Data Portal

Partners

Funder

ITC Trust Fund Window 1 (Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, India, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland)

Sustainable Development Goals

This project contributes to the following Sustainable Development Goals, as defined by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Projects

SheTrades Latin America: Supporting women businesses‘ transition towards the post COVID digital age

SheTrades Latin America is an initiative of ITC - SheTrades Global, implemented by ITC -

SheTrades Hub Gambia

The SheTrades Hub Gambia facilitates the integration of Gambian women-owned businesses in

Egypt: SheTrades (AfTIAS)

The proposed project focuses on supporting businesswomen in the handicraft sector in Egypt

AfCFTA: Empowering women in the AfCFTA - Phase 2 (SheTrades)

Given the AfCFTA's potential to foster regional value chains and its ambition to encompass

SheTrades Morocco

The purpose of the SheTrades Morocco project is to increase the participation of women

SheTrades West Africa

The SheTrades West Africa project, financed by the Korea International Cooperative Agency

SheTrades Zambia

The objective of the SheTrades Zambia project is to increase the participation of Zambian

SheTrades and UPS partnership

Women own an estimated 31-38% of MSMEs around the world. However, they are likely to be

SheTrades and UPS

2022 UpdateThe project "SheTrades and UPS", funded by The UPS Foundation aims to achieve

Global: SheTrades Connect

This project provides support to women entrepreneurs in the context of ITC’s SheTrades

SheTrades and Mary Kay

Funded by Mary Kay Inc., the project "SheTrades and Mary Kay" aims to achieve inclusive

SheTrades Zambia: Increasing the participation of women in trade

The purpose of the SheTrades Zambia project is to increase the participation of women-led

SheTrades: Trade Impact Group - WTO

The project is funded by the EU Directorate General for Trade (DG Trade) and has the

SheTrades: using data to address constraints to extra-EU trade

The project aims to provide EU decision makers with solid evidence base on women's

SheTrades: Empowering African women through e-commerce

COVID-19 has vastly accelerated the growth and adoption of e-commerce. It is critical that

SheTrades: Empowering women and boosting livelihoods through agricultural trade: Leveraging the AfCFTA

The Project SheTrades: Empowering Rural Women in the AfCFTA contributes to ITC’s One Trade

SheTrades: Accelerator Programme for women entrepreneurs in the Apparel, Accessories and Home Décor sector

This project is targeting women owned businesses (WOBs) in the Apparel, Accessories and

Asia Pacific: Facilitating women’s economic empowerment and entrepreneurial skills development (SheTrades)

In a concerted effort to advance women's economic empowerment across the Asia Pacific

Gulf region: Harnessing the economic potential of women entrepreneurs in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (SheTrades)

The ITC SheTrades and Visa: Gulf Region Project aims to harness the economic potential of

Context

What is the SheTrades Initiative?

Our SheTrades Initiative has changed the economic lives of three million women in 30 countries by connecting them to markets. We have opened 12 regional hubs across Africa, Asia, South America, the Caribbean and Europe, and we continue to grow.

The Initiative centres on empowering women engaging in international trade and creating a women-inclusive fairer business ecosystem. We help them overcome barriers and, with them, identify areas that urgently need to be addressed.

Consultations with global thought leaders reveal persisting barriers between key actors and the building blocks of women’s enterprise development: gender-disaggregated research, inclusive policy, skills development, access to markets and finance.

SheTrades works across countries, regions and stakeholders to champion quality data on women’s participation in trade. We work with policymakers to level the playing field for women, leverage partnerships with the public and private sectors, and connect women to markets and learning opportunities through our one-stop online platform, SheTrades.com.

The Initiative is a proud contributor to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

ITC SheTrades beneficiary works with over 50,000 smallholder farmers to turn avocado rejects into high-quality oil that is exported to Europe, US, and Asia.

Visit SheTrades.com