What are the opportunities, challenges and issues women face in the global value chain?

03/06/2016

women in the global value chain

women in the global value chain

An interesting topic came up during April’s #TradeElite chat on the future of agriculture – women’s roles in the global value chain and the unique challenges they face worldwide. We decided this was a major topic for discussion, well worth investigating further.

To do that, we rounded up some of the most influential voices we could find who are not only experts on the topic, but who deal with women’s issues, working to improve their lives daily.

We were thrilled at the interest we received and what followed was a fascinating discussion with some of the most insightful responses you will see in 140 characters. At FITT, we’re not done exploring this important topic, but for now, enjoy the recap of our Twitter chat below.

Moderator: Clarecia Christie, CITP|FIBP (@ClareciaChriste), Project Manager and Team Lead, Trade Information Services at Trade Facilitation Office of Canada, based out of Ottawa, Ontario.

Panelists:

Vanessa Erogbogbo (@VErogbogbo), Head of Programme at the International Trade Centre, based in Geneva, Switzerland

Kara Klassen (@KaraKlassen), Project Manager, Women’s Economic Opportunities at Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), based in Kitchener, Ontario

Idalia Obregon (@Idalia_Obregon), Executive Director at Belgian Canadian Business Chamber, based in Toronto, Ontario

Leah Goold-Haws (@LeahGlobal), Director, Global Trade & Logistics at Long Beach City College and Founder of Girls Gone Global, based in Los Angeles, California

Andrea Ewart (@developtradelaw), International Trade Attorney & Consultant at DevelopTradeLaw, LLC and President of Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT), based in Washington, D.C.

What are some of the biggest challenges women face in the global value chain workforce around the world?

How are gender inequalities around the world affecting women’s roles in the GVC?

What market access opportunities exist for women in global value chains today?

What tools are in place to inform women of opportunities along a company’s value chain(s)?

Do you think businesses should be incentivised to include women in their GVC or should it be a CSR tool?

What are some of the risks for women in businesses new to accessing GVCs?

Read the rest of the chat and follow future discussions by following the #TradeElite hashtag.

Stay tuned for the next #TradeElite chat, coming up Thursday, July 7 at 2:30-3:30PM ET.

About the author

Author: Pamela Hyatt

I am the Content Marketing Specialist for the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT). You can find some of my work on TradeReady.ca. My background is in copywriting, journalism and social media. My passion lies in connecting people to the stories that are most important to them.

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