Gender-responsive implementation of the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area: defining the role of the regional economic communities

Abstract

With the adoption of the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area, African countries acknowledged the importance of achieving gender equality in order to promote structural transformation. Ensuring that the Agreement is implemented in a gender-responsive manner is now more crucial than ever, as evidence shows clearly that women are more likely than men to be negatively affected by the health, socioeconomic and trade repercussions of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. To accelerate the gender-responsive implementation of the Agreement, it will be critical to build on existing initiatives, knowledge, and capacities, including, in particular, at the level of regional economic communities, which continue to lead trade liberalization in Africa. There are clear opportunities to build on and scale up the activities of the regional economic communities in addressing trade and gender within the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The purpose of the present report is therefore to assess gender mainstreaming in trade at the regional level and identify ways to promote the gender-responsive implementation of the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area. The findings of the report are based on a literature review, a data collection exercise in selected regional economic communities, a desk review, and the outcomes of continental workshops on trade and gender organized by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC). The report identifies challenges and opportunities for building on the activities conducted by the regional economic communities to address trade and gender concerns.