Publications

This report provides policymakers with recommendations on how to build the resilience of women-led businesses in the long term. This includes policy actions to improve the competitiveness of women-led businesses, address the barriers they face when participating in trade, and make the...

This report applies a gender lens framework to government procurement through the public provision, consumption and employment channels. It identifies opportunities to develop a gender lens for government procurement in the World Trade Organization to inform and advance the debate among negotiators,...

This report identifies how World Trade Organization negotiators and signatories can mainstream gender considerations through the negotiations on Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD). It examines policies and regulations that can encourage investment that attracts women-owned businesses and...

This report advises governments on tackling gender inequality and promoting women’s economic empowerment when implementing the World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA). It recommends helping women traders access vital information about their rights, border crossing times,...

This report supports the World Trade Organization (WTO) Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender by offering an analytical framework outlining trade and trade-related impacts on women (and men) through the employment, consumption and public provision channels. It presents a step-by-step approach...

Small firms are at the heart of Eswatini’s participation in international value chains. But they often struggle to trade due to production capacity constraints, including inadequate managerial skills and certification, failure to engage with business support organizations and weak linkages with...

Insufficient knowledge about options and application processes, difficulty understanding financial terms and lack of collateral hinder women seeking finance. In this report, financiers applying gender lens investing build on their experience addressing women’s challenges and offer insights on best...

This guide offers policymakers and trade practitioners practical, step-by-step advice on how to mainstream gender concerns into the work of their trade ministries, small business ministries and trade support institutions.

Boosting the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises is crucial to transform Benin into a resilient and sustainable economy.

Companies in French-speaking Africa have not been spared by the COVID-19 pandemic. One-third are on the verge of bankruptcy, according to a joint study conducted by ITC and the Permanent Conference of African and Francophone Consular Chambers.

One in three companies in French-speaking Africa is in a difficult financial position, according to ITC research.

Companies in 16 French-speaking African countries are more likely to export when they comply with international standards, according to a joint survey by ITC and the Permanent Conference of African and Francophone Consular Chambers (CPCCAF). Among 9,000 firms surveyed, only 25% have an...