Kanchan Rani Dutta :
When women have their own proceeds, they improve their whole standards of living. It represents their status and increases negotiating power which sometimes is termed as ‘ power of the purse’.
Now it can be concentrated on how trade contributes to achieve the SDG Goal 5- Gender Equality. It focuses on achieving gender equality and empowers all women and girls. It covers a wide range of areas; poverty reduction, end all kinds of discrimination against women and girls, eliminate harmful practices such as early and child marriage, forced marriage, ensures women full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making process, enhance the use of enabling technology, communication technology to promote empowerment, adopt and strengthen sound policies etc.
Trade grants to SDG by creating employment opportunities for women. Trade can play an important role in driving women’s economic empowerment and ultimate leads to economic efficiency. It is proven truth that economic emancipation is the base of eradicating other disparity.
Women invest most of their earnings back in their families. Economic power has a snowball effects on society. Women’s economic empowerment has positive impact on economic growth and helps to reduce poverty. Globally the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women would raise per capita productivity by 40 percent (World Bank, Doing Business Report-2017)
ROBERTO AZEVEDO (Director-General of The WTO and International Gender Champion) stated ”Action is needed to better integrate women into the international trading systems. All the evidence suggests that giving an equal economic chance to women is not only economically important; it results in beneficial outcomes for society as a whole. Investing in women -and empowering women to invest in themselves- is a risk free venture. What society gives them, they give back ten times over”.
In 2017 at the 11th Ministerial Conference WTO members and observers launched ”Buenos Aires Declaration on Trade and Women Economic Empowerment ”. They endorsed a collective initiative to increase the participation of women in trade. 118-member countries and observers (Bangladesh did not endorse) endorsed the declaration and agreed to support the Declaration on Trade and Women’s economic Empowerment, which seeks to remove barriers to, and foster women’s economic empowerment.
In Bangladesh women face various hurdles in trade activities. Sometimes complex procurement processes prevent women from entering the work force, setting up a business or owning land and assets. Their business processes are very often threatened by difficulties in accessing finance. In our country there are few women traders involving in international trading system i.e.; import and export business process. Some are holding ornamental posts offered by father or husband. Those who are engaged actively in international trade they are treated badly by male traders. They are being discouraged to continue their business. Women play a vital role in the economy but a range of barriers limit their opportunities. According to the ILO Global Wages Report 2018 women are still paid 20 percent less than men for the same works.
UN Sustainable Development Goals knowledge Platform shows in progress of Goal 5 in 2019 that some indicators of gender equality are progressing but insufficient progress on structural issues at the root of gender inequality, such as legal discrimination, unfair social norms are undermining the ability to achieve the goal. The Global gender Gap report 2018 published by World Economic Forum shows that progress towards gender parity continues to be slow, if we keep pace with current trends, the overall global gender gap can be closed in 108 years.
As per World Bank brief report published on 08 march, 2019 ” we should understand how trade and gender are linked and whether men and women are disproportionately affected- positively or negatively by trade policies and their implementation”. Like SME activities women should legally encourage to engage them in international trading systems. Gender friendly environment and positive attitudes are also necessary to improve the current situations. Tireless support is needed for enhancing women’s empowerment and achieving gender equality. In the long run it leads to change in social stereotype behaviors, establish women rights as well as fulfills SDG.
(Deputy Commissioner of Customs, Customs Bond Commissionerate, Dhaka, email: [email protected])
When women have their own proceeds, they improve their whole standards of living. It represents their status and increases negotiating power which sometimes is termed as ‘ power of the purse’.
Now it can be concentrated on how trade contributes to achieve the SDG Goal 5- Gender Equality. It focuses on achieving gender equality and empowers all women and girls. It covers a wide range of areas; poverty reduction, end all kinds of discrimination against women and girls, eliminate harmful practices such as early and child marriage, forced marriage, ensures women full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making process, enhance the use of enabling technology, communication technology to promote empowerment, adopt and strengthen sound policies etc.
Trade grants to SDG by creating employment opportunities for women. Trade can play an important role in driving women’s economic empowerment and ultimate leads to economic efficiency. It is proven truth that economic emancipation is the base of eradicating other disparity.
Women invest most of their earnings back in their families. Economic power has a snowball effects on society. Women’s economic empowerment has positive impact on economic growth and helps to reduce poverty. Globally the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women would raise per capita productivity by 40 percent (World Bank, Doing Business Report-2017)
ROBERTO AZEVEDO (Director-General of The WTO and International Gender Champion) stated ”Action is needed to better integrate women into the international trading systems. All the evidence suggests that giving an equal economic chance to women is not only economically important; it results in beneficial outcomes for society as a whole. Investing in women -and empowering women to invest in themselves- is a risk free venture. What society gives them, they give back ten times over”.
In 2017 at the 11th Ministerial Conference WTO members and observers launched ”Buenos Aires Declaration on Trade and Women Economic Empowerment ”. They endorsed a collective initiative to increase the participation of women in trade. 118-member countries and observers (Bangladesh did not endorse) endorsed the declaration and agreed to support the Declaration on Trade and Women’s economic Empowerment, which seeks to remove barriers to, and foster women’s economic empowerment.
In Bangladesh women face various hurdles in trade activities. Sometimes complex procurement processes prevent women from entering the work force, setting up a business or owning land and assets. Their business processes are very often threatened by difficulties in accessing finance. In our country there are few women traders involving in international trading system i.e.; import and export business process. Some are holding ornamental posts offered by father or husband. Those who are engaged actively in international trade they are treated badly by male traders. They are being discouraged to continue their business. Women play a vital role in the economy but a range of barriers limit their opportunities. According to the ILO Global Wages Report 2018 women are still paid 20 percent less than men for the same works.
UN Sustainable Development Goals knowledge Platform shows in progress of Goal 5 in 2019 that some indicators of gender equality are progressing but insufficient progress on structural issues at the root of gender inequality, such as legal discrimination, unfair social norms are undermining the ability to achieve the goal. The Global gender Gap report 2018 published by World Economic Forum shows that progress towards gender parity continues to be slow, if we keep pace with current trends, the overall global gender gap can be closed in 108 years.
As per World Bank brief report published on 08 march, 2019 ” we should understand how trade and gender are linked and whether men and women are disproportionately affected- positively or negatively by trade policies and their implementation”. Like SME activities women should legally encourage to engage them in international trading systems. Gender friendly environment and positive attitudes are also necessary to improve the current situations. Tireless support is needed for enhancing women’s empowerment and achieving gender equality. In the long run it leads to change in social stereotype behaviors, establish women rights as well as fulfills SDG.
(Deputy Commissioner of Customs, Customs Bond Commissionerate, Dhaka, email: [email protected])
