The Caribbean Development Bank will host some 50 trade officials from across the region for a workshop focusing on the importance of gender equality in achieving national and regional trade goals and objectives.

The overall objective of the four-day workshop, “Gender Mainstreaming in Caribbean Trade Policies and Programmes: Promoting Gender Equality for Improved Trade and Development“, is to increase awareness of the value of mainstreaming gender into the Caribbean’s trade and economic development agenda, and to improve participants’ gender mainstreaming skills. The training seminar is being held in partnership with the International Trade Centre which will lead facilitation of the workshops.

Among the expected results of the training will be a collective position paper affirming commitment to gender equality in the context of trade; and related strategies for integrating a gender perspective into policy and programming.

Gender Equality Advisor at CDB, Denise Noel-De Bique said this seminar is in line with the main objective of the Bank’s Gender Equality Policy and Operational Strategy (GEPOS).

“The Bank is promoting gender equality in the Region by working with its Borrowing Member Countries, development partners and regional institutions in a responsive and collaborative manner to analyze the relationship between socio-economic development and gender inequality. This approach, we believe, can help to sustain economic growth, reduce poverty and assist all women and men to achieve their full potential,” De Bique said.

ITC representative Meg Jones said: “until recently, gender has been largely undervalued in mainstream economics. This has resulted, in part, from the assumption that everyone in society would benefit equally from higher rates of economic growth. As a result of deeper research and analysis promoted by the fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, the value of gender mainstreaming has become apparent, with gender equality now a priority of national governments, development agencies and institutions. It is also aligned to ITC’s Gender Mainstreaming Policy and Action Plan and its commitment to provide relevant training to its partners.”