Gender & Trade
WIDE+’s work on Gender and Trade is carried forward through the Gender and Trade Working Group, which monitors EU trade policy from an intersectional feminist perspective and promotes feminist alternatives to current trade and economic systems.
June 2025 Edmé Dominguez, board member at WIDE+, joined the negotiations between the Central American and European Union Advisory Groups in San José, Costa Rica
The Working Group creates spaces for amplifying the voices, knowledge and leadership of marginalised communities – including indigenous, migrant, rural and peasant, and LGBTQI+ communities – working towards equality, social justice and human rights.
The group develops public positions and analysis on EU trade and gender issues, contributes to global advocacy promoting feminist perspectives on trade policy, and coordinates its participation in EU Trade Domestic Advisory Groups (see more below in Activities and Agenda).
WIDE+ Gender and Trade Working Group meets in Brussels on 18-19 June 2026
Trade and macro-economic policies have significant impacts on the lives, livelihoods and rights of women and marginalised communities worldwide. Trade rules and agreements adopted by the EU and other European countries have vast domestic and international impacts. They directly shape labor rights, resource access, and care work.
Furthermore, they influence public services, migration, environmental sustainability, and democratic participation. These agreements are continuously reshaped through new trade agreements and other economic policies, including monetary and internal market policies.
Grounded in heterodox and feminist economic perspectives, the group promotes approaches to trade and economic policy that prioritise social development, environmental and climate justice, democratic participation, and human rights. These approaches challenge profit maximisation and neo-liberal economic models.
The Working Group advocates for changes in EU and European trade and economic policies that respect human rights, gender equality and ecological sustainability. Members engage in awareness raising, alliance building and advocacy, while also contributing through public statements and letters, briefings, participation in meetings, advocacy and lobbying activities.
WIDE+ representatives at 25th anniversary conference of the European Trade Justice Coalition (ETJC).
Join the Working Group
The group brings together WIDE+ members, international experts, feminist economists and civil society representatives from different countries and backgrounds. Non-members interested in the topic are also welcome to participate. Membership is not required, but WIDE+ encourages participants to consider joining the broader WIDE+ network as voting members to strengthen our collective voice.
The Working Group mainly collaborates online through regular Zoom meetings and email exchange, and currently meets approximately once per month.
Contact us
For more information or to join the group, please contact our General Coordinator Gea Meijers. Please also download our Terms of Reference for more information.
Activities and Agenda
Over the years, the Gender and Trade Working Group has engaged in feminist advocacy, research, awareness raising and coalition building around trade justice at European and international levels.
The group has contributed to policy discussions within the European Union, WTO and UNCTAD processes, and collaborated closely with feminist and civil society alliances such as the Gender and Trade Coalition, CONCORD and the European Trade Justice Coalition.
In recent years, the Working Group has also strengthened its participation in formal EU trade monitoring bodies linked to international trade agreements.
WIDE+ currently participates in several EU Domestic Advisory Groups (DAGs), including:
- the EU-Canada FTA DAG
- the EU-Colombia, Peru and Ecuador DAG
- the EU-Central America DAG, where WIDE+ currently holds the position of presiding chair for the EU delegation
- the EU-Chile Domestic Consultative Group (DCG)
Through these spaces, WIDE+ contributes feminist and gender equality perspectives to civil society monitoring and reflection processes connected to EU trade agreements.
Additional activities and contributions over the past 10+ years include:
- Advocacy and public statements on EU trade agreements, including EU-Mercosur, EU-Chile and EU-Mexico
- Participation in WTO and UNCTAD discussions on gender and trade
- Webinars and public discussions on trade justice, extractivism, labour rights, militarism and feminist alternatives
- Collaboration with international feminist and trade justice coalitions
- Briefings, position papers and public letters on gender-responsive trade policy
- Participation in conferences, hearings and consultations at European and international level
The Working Group has also organised and contributed to numerous webinars, workshops and conferences bringing together feminist economists, activists, trade justice advocates and researchers from Europe, Latin America, Africa and beyond. Topics have included:
- Gender and trade agreements
- Food sovereignty and agriculture
- Extractivism and environmental justice
- Labour rights and global value chains
- Feminist economic alternatives
- Trade and militarism
- Feminist organising and movement building
The Working Group brings together feminist economists, researchers, activists and civil society representatives working on gender and trade justice. Member bios will be added soon.