Chile was distinguished with the International Prize for Gender Equality in Trade in the category “Sustainable Development and Gender Equity” for its policy “Trade and Gender Chapters in Trade Agreements”.
At the World Trade Organization (WTO) Public Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, Chile was distinguished with the International Prize for Gender Equality in Trade in the category “Sustainable Development and Gender Equity” for its policy “Trade and Gender Chapters in Trade Agreements”.
According to Diario Financiero, the entity’s Deputy Director-General, Angela Ellard, stressed that the purpose of the event was to show how trade policy can help «close gaps to reduce poverty and help countries develop in a sustainable way.»
Ana Patricia Benedetti, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of El Salvador to the WTO, was responsible for presenting the distinction to Chile. She highlighted that over the last decade, the country has been pioneer in its approach to the negotiation and adoption of free trade agreements, and it has been integrating gender chapters since 2016.
She added that Chile has also «been an important global leader in promoting gender equality through trade.»
The ambassador also assured that the free trade agreement with Uruguay—the first to include a gender chapter—shows that between 2019 and 2023, the number of women-led companies exporting to that country grew at a rate of 8.3% per year, compared to a 5.5% growth rate for those led by men.
María Jesús Prieto, Head of Chile’s Inclusive Commerce Department, received the award for Chile.
«Our approach to inclusive trade is based on the conviction that gender equality is not only a matter of fairness, but also a driver of economic growth. By incorporating gender chapters in our free trade agreements, we are making a strategic investment in our collective future,» she said in her speech.
This is the first time that this prize has been given.
The Foreign Affairs Minister, Alberto van Klaveren, said that the prize is «consistent with our country’s foreign policy during different governments» and added that «receiving this distinction by an organization as important as the WTO is a source of pride for our country, and it shows that we are on the right track.»
The International Economic Relations Undersecretary, Claudia Sanhueza, also recalled that Chile was the first country in the world to sign a trade agreement that included a chapter on gender and trade, «which made it possible to generate data-based evidence on the participation of women in the export sector, specific activities for women entrepreneurs and specific public policies to increase the international expansion of women-led companies.»
This recognition comes just over a year after the Boric administration presented Chile’s Feminist Foreign Policy (PEF in Spanish), which aims to «establish the principle of equality and non-discrimination as a guiding principle in Chile’s foreign policy.»