Recent trade agreements have increasingly included comprehensive gender chapters or provisions that reaffirm commitments to international standards for gender equality and commit to implement activities between trading partners that aim to reduce gender inequalities. The Global Trade and Gender Arrangement (GTAGA), a cooperation agreement, sets out many ways in which trade policies can be more inclusive of women. Ensuring trade is more inclusive is also a growing focus in fora such as the G20 and APEC. 

Since SMEs tend to trade less due to the fixed costs of entering global markets, they benefit more from trade facilitation reforms. Many OECD countries have come a long way in easing procedures and reducing delays at borders. These benefit women-led firms that tend to be smaller. Moreover, automation of border procedures reduces opportunities for unequal treatment of women exporters in cases where a physical presence is required at border crossings. Automation also expedites customs procedures, which is important for women who generally have less time given their unpaid work responsibilities.

There are up to 500 million Indigenous Peoples worldwide in over 90 countries, of which 39.5 million live in 14 OECD countries. Indigenous people make an important contribution to the culture, heritage, and economic development of these countries, including through their long history of trading.  With the right structures, systems, and policies in place, Indigenous trade can benefit Indigenous communities and the countries where they live. Indeed, OECD work on trade and Indigenous Peoples is guided by the aim to ensure trade is inclusive of Indigenous businesses and their communities.

Trade is not the root of many problems, nor can it solve them on its own. An integrated approach is needed to make the trading system work better for more people. This means three things. First, creating the environments where benefits from trade can materialise through domestic policies that encourage opportunity, innovation and competition – such as by cutting unnecessary trade costs and investing in people and digital and physical infrastructure. Second, doing more to bring everyone along, including in lagging regions where trade shocks can be concentrated. Third, making the international system work better, harnessing the full range of international economic cooperation tools to level the international playing field, addressing the gaps in the rules and doing more to ensure that everyone, from companies to countries, plays by the rules.