Date: 4 February 2021

The  project  of  Strengthening  Arab Economic  Integration for  Sustainable Development  (AEISD), by  United  Nations  Development  Programme  (UNDP),  sets  as  objective,  provision  of  technical assistance to the League of Arab States (LAS), and Member states of Pan Arab Free Trade Area (PAFTA) in working towards a deepened integration. The project seeks to achieve more detailed understanding  of  the  modalities  through  which  Arab  women  and  the  youth  contribute  to deepening Arab economic cooperation and making trade an effective instrument for resilient and participatory economies in the region.

The project is organizing a webinar on “Trade and Gender in the Arab region–Case study of Egypt and Morocco” that aims:
* To  achieve a  better understanding of  the  relationship  between trade  and  gender, the  positive  and negative impact of  trade  liberalization on  women,  and  how women  can  be  a main player in trade activities and contribute to the economic growth of countries. 
* To get  knowledge  on  the  status  of  gender,  trade  and  business  in  the  Arab  statesthrough understanding the statistical profile for Arab countries,the demographic characteristicsand labor force participation in Arab countries.  
* To  achieve  a  better  understanding about the  implications  on  trade  and  gender related  legislations  and  strategies  on  enhancing  the  role  of  women  in  economic  and  trade activities.
* To  increase  the  understanding on how the  current  Arab  agreements  on  trade  in goods and services can support women engagement in trade activities.
* To  exchange  experiences  of  success  stories  for  women  engagement  in trade activities in Egypt and Morocco, potential for development and the challenges facing them with the required policy reform

Representatives  of women entrepreneurs working  in  the  private  sector, trade  and  gender relevantgovernment  officialsin  Egypt  and  Morocco,and trade  related regional  organizations will be participating in the webinar.