On behalf of the team at TFO Canada, I would like to highlight the importance of this year’s Gender Equality Week – a time to raise awareness of the important contributions women and gender diverse communities had made to the growth, development, character and identity of Canada.
Given TFO Canada’s mission of improving lives through the creation of sustainable trade partnerships for exporters from developing countries with Canadian and foreign buyers, it is important to highlight how trade can have a positive affect on women specifically. According to a 2020 World Bank/World Trade Organization report entitled “Women and Trade: The Role of Trade in Promoting Gender Equality”, trade can substantially improve economic outcomes for women, by increasing employment and wages, creating better jobs, and lowering costs. That said, the positive effects of trade will materialize only if the barriers that hold women back are lifted and appropriate policies to deal with adjustment costs are put in place.
For our part, TFO Canada has been working on Gender and Trade issues over the past several years by supporting women owned and/or led small and medium enterprises to access foreign markets. In fact, over the past year alone, of the 1,356 SMEs that received capacity building training on accessing the Canadian Market through our various programs, 80% were women-owned/led businesses.
During the week, you will learn more about TFO Canada’s work and how we contribute to gender equality through initiatives that support women’s economic empowerment.
Wishing you all a great week!
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