Inclusive trade

Trade can affect men and women differently, which means that the impacts of trade policies on women, as entrepreneurs, workers, and consumers, need to be better understood. For example, trade lowers prices, which benefits low-income households where women are overrepresented. Trade facilitation also plays a key role in supporting women-owned businesses, which tend to be smaller and less financed compared to those owned by men.

Assessing the impact of market opening under trade agreements requires understanding the sectors where women work and run businesses. In response, the OECD has developed a new framework to help countries analyse the gender-specific impacts of trade policy and guide efforts to support women’s participation in trade and trade policy-making.

Recent trade agreements are increasingly including dedicated gender chapters or provisions that reaffirm commitments to international standards on gender equality. These provisions also promote cooperation initiatives between trading partners aimed at reducing gender-based inequalities.

The Global Trade and Gender Arrangement (GTAGA) offers a practical example of how trade policy can become more inclusive of women. At the same time, international fora such as the G20 and APEC are placing greater emphasis on gender inclusiveness in trade, recognising its importance for equitable and sustainable economic growth.

SMEs often face high fixed costs when entering global markets, which can limit their ability to trade internationally. As a result, they stand to gain the most from trade facilitation reforms that streamline procedures and reduce delays at borders.

Many OECD countries have made significant progress in this area, particularly benefiting women-led businesses, which tend to be smaller and face greater resource constraints. Automation of border procedures also reduces the risk of unequal treatment in cases where physical presence is required and helps accelerate customs processes, especially important for women, who often have less time flexibility due to carrying greater unpaid work responsibilities, such as caregiving.

There are an estimated 500 million Indigenous Peoples across more than 90 countries, including 39.5 million in 14 OECD member countries. Indigenous communities play a vital role in shaping the culture, heritage, and economic development of these countries, supported by a long-standing tradition of trade. With the right structures, systems, and policies in place, trade can serve as a powerful tool for advancing the economic empowerment of Indigenous Peoples. The OECD’s work on trade and Indigenous Peoples focuses on ensuring that trade policies are inclusive of Indigenous Peoples, communities and businesses. 

Trade is neither the cause of all challenges nor a cure-all. But with the right approach, it can work better for more people. This requires integrated action at both national and international levels.

First, countries need to create environments where trade benefits can materialise through domestic policies that foster opportunity, innovation, and competition, such as reducing unnecessary trade costs and investing in people, digital tools, and physical infrastructure.

Second, greater efforts are needed to ensure no one is left behind, including in regions that are more vulnerable to trade-related shocks.

Third, the international system must function more effectively by using the full range of economic cooperation tools to level the international playing field, address regulatory gaps, and ensure that all actors, from firms to governments, play by the rules.