Faurie in Davos: “Closing the gender gap is not only a moral and justice commitment, but also an economic imperative”

Within the framework of the World Economic Forum, Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie today participated in a panel discussion on “Women and Trade: Global Growth Drivers”.

The panel was also comprised of Cecilia Malmstrom, the European Commissioner for Trade; David Abney, the Chairman and CEO of UPS, and Arancha Gonzalez, the Executive Director of the International Trade Centre, among other keynote speakers.

The main issue addressed by the panel was women’s economic empowerment as a channel to boost global economic growth.

“The link between women and trade is increasingly becoming the core of the international agenda. Closing the gender gap is not only a moral and justice commitment, but also an economic imperative. There is a clear trade argument in favour of women’s economic empowerment, since their increased participation in trade is essential,” Faurie stated.

The Foreign Minister also underscored that “now is the time to go beyond rhetoric in order to promote progressive and concrete trade approaches. We shall work together so as to close the gender gap and achieve our greater shared goal of not leaving anyone behind.”

“Adding a gender perspective to trade policy is a priority for Argentina. This was shown at the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference held last December in our country, at which 118 members and observers supported the Buenos Aires Declaration on Women and Trade – the first initiative of its kind in the history of the WTO,” he underscored.

The Minister also explained that “Argentina is ready to work jointly with the international community in addressing the current gender inequalities in the global economy,” and “help women access markets and integrate into regional and global value chains, thus contributing to a more inclusive trading system.”

Faurie further stated that “women’s economic empowerment is also of great importance to Argentina in negotiating trade agreements and we have been working on several agreements in this regard. For instance, last year, important steps were taken as the first bilateral trade agreement including a chapter on gender was signed with Chile.”

Finally, the Foreign Minister underscored that “as the current G20 chair, Argentina pledges to promote the incorporation of the gender perspective as part of the Group’s work,” and stated that this was one of the main issues addressed by President Macri and Queen Maxima.

Press release No. 020/18

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