“If we're going to achieve gender-transformative actions, rather than just making piecemeal progress that fails to see the bigger picture, we have to undertake a radical rethink in our programming for women’s empowerment in agrifood systems, from design to execution.”Pamela Coke-Hamilton
Executive Director, International Trade Centre (high-level CGE event, New York, 24 September 2024)
[O3] ITC commits to increasing the quality of programming for gender equality and women's empowerment in agrifood systems along the Reach, Benefit, Empower, Transform (RBET) framework, within 20 projects with a total value of USD 300 million by 2030.
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By 2030, ITC will have fully integrated the RBET framework into 20 projects totalling USD 300 million.
Women entrepreneurs in agrifood systems continue to face significant barriers, including limited access to finance, markets and trade opportunities, as well as systemic constraints that hinder their ability to scale businesses and increase resilience. While progress has been made, structural inequalities persist, limiting women’s participation in and benefits from global agrifood trade.
The International Trade Centre (ITC)’s commitment under CGE directly addresses these challenges. By integrating gender-transformative approaches into 20 trade-focused projects totalling USD 300 million by 2030, ITC aims to ensure that women entrepreneurs are not only included in trade but positioned to thrive in agrifood systems.
This commitment builds on ITC’s established expertise in fostering gender-responsive trade, particularly through initiatives such as SheTrades, which connects women-led agribusinesses to global markets, and its Gender Mainstreaming Strategy, which embeds gender considerations into trade facilitation, business services and investment frameworks. Through this commitment, ITC will expand and refine these efforts in order to generate sustainable and scalable outcomes.
By applying the RBET framework, ITC will:
Through this commitment, ITC seeks to support lasting structural change, ensuring that women-led enterprises can compete effectively, scale their businesses, and play a more prominent role in global agrifood systems.
Required citation:
FAO. 2025. Commit to Grow Equality: investing in the future of women in agrifood systems – Progress report 2025. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd4123en
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