Recommendation 002/2018 of 26 September 2018 of the CETA Joint Committee on Trade and Gender

THE CETA JOINT COMMITTEE,

Having regard to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement ('CETA') between Canada, of the one part, and the European Union and its Member States, of the other part ('the Parties'), and in particular 26.1.5.(f) thereof,

Whereas:

• (1) Recognising the important contribution made by women to sustainable economic growth through their participation in economic activity, including international trade, the Parties seek to increase women's access to and benefit from the opportunities created by CETA.
• (2) Mindful that trade liberalisation may affect men and women in different ways as workers, producers, traders or consumers, the Parties recognise the need to better understand the gender dimension of trade agreements such as CETA and the need to gather data and evidence in this regard.
• (3) The Parties recall the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the global Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Sustainable Development Goal 5 to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
• (4) The Parties reaffirm their commitment to effectively implement the obligations under the international conventions addressing gender equality or women's rights to which they are party, in particular the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 18, 1979. The Parties also recall their commitment in the Trade and Labour Chapter of CETA on the fundamental ILO Conventions.
• (5) The Parties reaffirm the objectives of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, in particular its strategic objective to promote women’s economic rights and independence.
• (6) The Parties reaffirm the objectives of the Joint Declaration on Trade and Women’s Economic Empowerment on the Occasion of the WTO Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires in December 2017.
• (7) The Parties affirm their commitment to having effective laws and policies promoting gender equality and maximising the positive impact of increased women's participation in international trade.  

HAS ADOPTED THIS RECOMMENDATION:

1. The CETA Joint Committee recognises the importance of making trade policies more gender-responsive in order to ensure that the benefits of trade liberalisation reach everyone.
2. The CETA Joint Committee acknowledges the benefit of sharing experience and best practices in designing, implementing, evaluating, monitoring and strengthening policies and initiatives to encourage women’s participation in the economy and international trade.
3. In light of the above, the CETA Joint Committee recommends that the Parties cooperate to improve the capacity and conditions for women, including workers, businesswomen and entrepreneurs, to access and fully benefit from the opportunities created by CETA. Cooperation activities will be carried out on issues and topics determined by the Parties. Such cooperation activities will be carried out with the inclusive participation of women.
4. Recognising the need to better understand the impact of trade on gender equality and women’s participation in the economy, the CETA Joint Committee recommends that the Parties start their cooperation activities by:
1. a) Sharing methods and procedures for the collection of gender-disaggregated data, the use of indicators,  monitoring and evaluation methodologies, and the analysis of gender-focused statistics related to trade;
2. b) Exchanging experience and best practices for conducting gender-based analysis of trade policies; and,
3. c) Exploring the implications for the design and implementation of trade agreements, including CETA.

1. The Parties may invite international organisations, third countries, private sector entities, non-governmental organizations, or other relevant institutions, as appropriate, to assist with the development and implementation of trade related cooperation activities.
2. The CETA Joint Committee encourages efforts by other bodies established under CETA to integrate gender-related considerations and activities into their work.
3. To facilitate the cooperation and information exchanges on trade and gender listed in the paragraphs above, the CETA Joint Committee recommends that each Party promptly appoint a Contact Point for trade and gender to coordinate the implementation and operation of this Recommendation and notify the other Party its contact details including information regarding the relevant officials.
4. The Joint Committee recommends that Contact Points for trade and gender meet within the first year following the adoption of this Recommendation, and annually thereafter or as determined by the Parties, in person or by any other technological means available, report on their activities, and make proposals on any matter related to this Recommendation as appropriate, to the CETA Joint Committee for consideration. The Contact Points for trade and gender may carry out other duties pertaining to this Recommendation as appropriate.
5. The CETA Joint Committee will assess progress achieved at its next meeting, and periodically thereafter, and determine future priorities for cooperation on trade and gender.

Adopted at [__], [__] September 2018

For the CETA Joint Committee

On behalf of the EU

On behalf of Canada