Uncertain Trade, Unequal Burden: How Trade Tensions Widen the Gender Gap

Global trade is under pressure – and its impacts are anything but evenly shared. But who bears the brunt of rising tariffs and trade tensions?

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and GIZ invite you to join us in person on 3 March 2026, from 4 pm to 5:30 pm, at the Geneva Graduate Institute (Jaques Freymond Auditorium, Domaine Barton, 132 rue de Lausanne, Geneva) for an engaging panel discussion followed by a networking reception. 

Together, we will unpack how today’s trade tensions, tariff hikes, and economic uncertainty are reshaping livelihoods – and why women in export-oriented industries, particularly in sectors such as textiles, are paying a disproportionate price.

The event will start with opening remarks by German Ambassador to the WTO H.E. Carmen Heidecke. The panel discussion will be moderated by Ms Leontine von Levetzow, Head of the Trade Division at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and feature leading voices in trade and gender, including Ms Anoush der Boghossian, Head of the Trade and Gender Office at the World Trade Organization (WTO), and Ms Caroline Dommen, Specialist in Sustainable Development Law, Trade Policy, and Gender Equality. A women-owned business will provide vegetarian catering for the networking reception.

Further high-level speakers and event details will be announced shortly. Members of the WTO Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender will also be invited. 

Save the date now and be part of this timely conversation in Geneva. We kindly ask you to confirm your attendance by email to josra.riecke(at)giz.de, as this will greatly assist us with the catering arrangements.