Meeting convened by UNCTAD in compliance with its mandate as Manager of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Gender and Trade and, at the same time, to mainstream the gender dimension in the preparation for UNCTAD XI.

During the meeting, the task force defined its main objective as that of sensitizing policy makers at the national and international level to issues and policies it identifies as important for achieving gender equality and development. Other objectives include the promotion of gender perspectives in national and international policies, global economic processes and trade agreements.

Task force members will undertake a wide range of activities, including impact analysis of international trade and investment agreements, socioeconomic analysis of the linkages between trade and gender, analysis of institutional issues, capacity-building and advocacy. Studies will be published and advocacy activities conducted, such as training workshops for policy makers and economic actors, including women and NGOs.