THE World Trade Organisation (WTO) launched its Gender Research Hub to enhance collaboration and exchange among trade and gender researchers. The hub will also serve as a platform for dialogue between researchers and the Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender established at the WTO last September.

Core participants in the WTO's research hub include the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank Group, the International Trade Centre (ITC), the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, participants in the WTO Academic Chairs Programme, and a number of academics from various countries and regions. Other experts will be invited to take part on an ad hoc basis.

"I believe the launch of this initiative is particularly important today because of the economic and social upheaval experienced by millions of women across the globe due to the COVID-19 pandemic," said the WTO Trade and Gender Focal Point, Ms Anoush der Boghossian, who will coordinate the activities of the hub and contribute to it.

The hub will enable the sharing of information on trade and gender research, foster research partnerships, and promote comparative research across regions.

It aims for these research findings to inform discussions across WTO bodies, including the WTO Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender. It also hopes to support efforts to gather research funding and take stock of efforts every two years through an international research conference.