Empower Women, Power Trade

Empower Women, Power Trade

EIF’s initiative aims at transforming the economic lives of women in least developed countries (LDCs). It focuses on female entrepreneurs and producers, cross-border traders and women-owned micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

At the foundation of this effort is building the evidence base to support gender-sensitive policies through EIF’s country-specific trade studies. Strategic support is directed at sectors in which women are predominantly engaged, so female-owned businesses can expand and access new regional and global markets.
Women & Trade

Why now?

Across LDCs women continue to face constraints that limit their participation in global trade. This includes discriminatory laws and social norms related to women’s responsibilities and mobility, as well as barriers relating to information and finance that reduce access to opportunities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected women's businesses and highlighted their higher vulnerability to shocks. It is therefore with a renewed purpose and urgency that EIF continues to work towards the economic empowerment of women in LDCs.
Research & Analysis

Where do we work?

Empower Women, Power Trade operates in the 46 LDCs, with emphasis on countries where EIF has ongoing projects or partnerships and where EIF has a mandate. Projects are currently taking place in Burkina Faso, Burundi, Bhutan, the Gambia, Ethiopia, Timor-Leste, Zambia and many others. Financial support of US$10 million is directed to projects submitted by country governments, with co-funding through the leveraging of existing programmes by EIF partner agencies.

On monitoring our success

We aim to impact 50,000 women by 2022. We monitor our progress as part of the EIF programme and project management cycle and in line with the EIF's overall monitoring and reporting framework.

For Empower Women, Power Trade, there is a specific set of key indicators. Some are part of EIF’s overall programme logframe, and there are an additional seven to measure specific progress of the Initiative.
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Partner with us

Does your institution work on similar issues? Are you interested in helping to be the catalyst female traders in LDCs need right now? Contact EIF at eif.secretariat@wto.org for more information about partnerships.