One of the things that I love the most about my role as President of OWIT Nairobi, is the opportunity it has given me to participate in global forums. This week I am in Geneva, at the WTO Public Forum.

I am delighted to be part of an OWIT/WEI collaborative panel to discuss gender exclusiveness in Trade in Services.

I heard it said recently that if you are not at the table, you might just find that you are on the menu. At OWIT, we are working hard to ensure that we promote the advancement of women in international trade by pulling up a chair!

Join the Webcast tomorrow;
Gender Inclusiveness in Trade in Services
October 9 2019, 4.30 – 6 pm Geneva time
Working Session at World Trade Organization Public Forum, Geneva 
https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/webcas_e/live_webcast_e.htm
 
Presented by: Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT) and Women’ s Economic Imperative (WEI)
 
Services add value to manufacturing and contribute to competitiveness, employment and trade. Technological innovations and ICT make “traditional” services easier to deliver internationally. Intangible elements add value to traded products, leveraging AI, big data and technology. Advances in technology revolutionized existing and created new service sectors and technology has led to new business models that represent game-changers in a range of industries. Gender equity in Trade in Services is a multi-faceted and complex issue that needs to be addressed by a diverse and multidisciplinary group, who understand different sectors and countries; combine theory and practice; work at macro-, meso- and micro- level. Session panelists will collaboratively address each issue to create a starting-point, building on each other’s ideas and drawing in contributions from the floor. Opportunities for participants to collaborate to influence and support the Agenda for Gender Equity in Trade in Services beyond the session will be highlighted.
 
Panelists:
Nino Zambakhidze, Chairwoman & Founder, Georgia Farmers Association Chad Blackman, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Barbados to the WTO – Government Official
Stephen de Boer, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Canada to the WTO
Yolanda Gibb, Global Lead – Trade, Women’s Economic Imperative (WEI) NGO
 
Moderator: Mucha Mlingo, President, OWIT Nairobi