Chile receives WTO award for its policy of including gender chapters in trade agreements

The World Trade Organization (WTO) granted Chile the International Award for Gender Equality in Trade, an award given to governments that have implemented trade policies with a gender perspective in an innovative, results-oriented manner and with a significant impact.

The multilateral organization singled out our country in the “Sustainable Development and Gender Equity” category for its policy of including trade and gender chapters in the Economic-Trade Agreements (ETAs).

Foreign Affairs Minister Alberto van Klaveren stated that “this award is a recognition of the work that the Government of President Gabriel Boric, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has developed for gender equality, in the context of its Feminist Foreign Policy”.

“Chile has been a global pioneer in incorporating gender and trade chapters in its Economic-Trade Agreements because it has the conviction to achieve a more egalitarian world. To be distinguished by an organization as important as the WTO is a source of pride for our country, it shows that we are on the right track and encourages us to continue working,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Undersecretary for International Economic Relations, Claudia Sanhueza, added that the chapters on gender and trade “have made it possible to generate evidence based on data on the participation of women in the export sector, the activities of women entrepreneurs and public policies to increase the internationalization of companies led by women”.

These chapters seek to promote women's participation in foreign trade through joint efforts in capacity building, financial inclusion, female leadership, network development, promotion of female entrepreneurship, and the importance of collecting statistical data with a gender perspective, among others.

To date, Chile has gender chapters in place with Uruguay (2018), Canada (2019), Argentina (2019), Brazil (2022), Ecuador (2022) and Paraguay (2024), in addition to negotiations finalized to add this matter to the CETs with the European Union, Singapore-Pacific Alliance, United Arab Emirates and Mexico. 

The award was presented at the WTO Public Forum and received by the head of the Department of Inclusive Trade of the Undersecretariat for International Economic Relations, María Jesús Prieto.