In trade policy corridors, an e­commerce agenda for women’s empowerment has been rapidly gaining traction. This think piece takes a closer look at the agenda, exploring its potential for furthering a global trade order that corresponds to feminist visions of economic and gender justice

The buzz started at the Buenos Aires Ministerial Conference in December 2017, when the governments of Iceland and Sierra Leone, along with the International Trade Centre (ITC),1 initiated the Joint Declaration on Trade and Women’s Economic Empowerment.ii This non­binding framework for promotion of ‘gender­responsive trade policies’ calls upon member states to collaboratively address barriers to women’s participation in trade, enhance inclusion of women’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in global value chains, create gender­disaggregated trade statistics, and strengthen gender­based monitoring of trade policy impacts. Over 120 governments, comprising over 70% of WTO members, have signed on to this initiative.iii The implementation plan for the framework is centered on a series of workshops and seminars for exchange of learnings and best practices on this issue amongst participating WTO member states. Unlocking the digital opportunity for women’s participation in the economy has been a prominent theme in these explorations.iv This enthusiasm spilled over to the WTO Public Forum 2018 as well, where the national governments and international institutions at the forefront of the Joint Declaration actively carried this dialogue forward.