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Gender and Trade in the East African Community Paper presented by Perpetue MIGANDA Principal Gender and Community Aff

1. Introduction . The East African Community (EAC) is the regional intergovernmental organization which covers Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. 2. Vision and Mission of the EAC. The vision of EAC is to:have a prosperous, competitive, secure and politically united East Africa.

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Gender and Trade in the East African Community Paper presented by Perpetue MIGANDA Principal Gender and Community Aff

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    1. Gender and Trade in the East African Community Paper presented by Perpetue MIGANDA Principal Gender and Community Affairs Officer Addis-Ababa, 18-19 June , 2009

    2. 1. Introduction The East African Community (EAC) is the regional intergovernmental organization which covers Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi

    3. 2. Vision and Mission of the EAC The vision of EAC is to: have a prosperous, competitive, secure and politically united East Africa. The mission of EAC is to: widen and deepen economic, political, social and cultural integration in order to improve the quality of life of the people of East Africa through increased competitiveness, value added production, trade and investment.

    4. 3. Key Elements of the East African Integration Process Customs Union - Joint administration of a Common External Tariff (CET) and elimination of all non-tariff barriers to cross-border trade (commenced on 1st January 2005 and will be implemented in 2011). Common Market - Free movement of goods and services and all factors of production (to be signed in November 2009). Monetary Union - Establishment of a single currency area Political Federation - This is the last stage of the regional integration process.

    5. 3. EAC Costums Union The East African Community Customs Union commenced operations on 1st January 2005 The founder Members of the East African Community Customs Union are Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Rwanda and Burundi joined in July 2007 The following documents provide the Legal framework for the East African Community Customs Union: 1. The Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community; 2. Protocol on the Establishment of the East African Community Customs Union 3. The East African Community Customs Management Act 2004

    6. Scope of co-operation Co-operation will apply to any activity undertaken by the Partner States in the field of customs management, and includes the following: a) Customs administration b) Matters concerning trade liberalisation c) Trade related aspects including the simplification and harmonisation of trade documentation, customs regulations and procedures d) Trade remedies e) National and joint institutional arrangements f) Training facilities and programmes on customs and trade g) Production and exchange of customs and trade statistics and information h) The promotion of exports

    7. Besides, the EAC is poised to undertake all programs and activities that enhance intra EAC trade and trade between EAC and other RECs The important areas include competition, standards, monitoring the removal of non tarrif barriers, export promotion, international trade and Intellectual Property Rights. Other activities include organizing Juala Kali Nguvu kazi exhibition (informal business), facilitate the handling and resolution of trade disputes, linking with other regional integration communities to discuss and harmonise areas of mutual interest

    8. Cross-border trade There are indicators that cross-border investments are improving, firms are increasingly basing their business plans on the regional market, rather than the local national markets in order to be able to enjoy economies of scale. Cross-border investments are important for three reasons: The transfer of skills and technology; The counteracting of regional trade imbalances ; The increasing of extra-regional export capacity

    9. Implementation of EAC Customs Union : Challenges Persistance of NTB: the region still operates in protectionist attitude; Poor infrastructure (Lack of storage facilities, lack of irrigation systems), high cost of doing business and insecurity; Lack of adequate budget to support small scale producers while the larger ones are fewer; Legislative and regulatory environment which is not favorable to promote trade; lack of appreciating the role of trade in development, therefore, lack of mainstreaming trade in poverty alleviation programs

    10. Challenges (continued) Lack of sufficient funds to undertake all important activities for stimulating trade in the region; In some cases, lack of political will to propel trade forward EAC policies are still not gender sensitive

    11. Gender and Trade in EAC What does the EAC Treaty say on Gender ? defines Gender as Role Of Women and Men in the Society Accords particular recognition to the role played by women in business. Gender as one of the fundamental principles that govern the achievements of the Communitys overall objectives alongside good governance, the rule of law, accountability, transparency, social justice, equal opportunities, recognition, promotion and protection of human and peoples rights

    12. The guiding principle of the EAC is People-centred development. Gender equity and community empowerment have been identified as key to the achievement of this principle. Therefore, Gender and Community Development are interrelated and are cross-cutting issues in the overall implementation of programmes of the Community.

    13. EAC Gender and Community and Community Development Framework Objectives of the EAC/GCDF: To mainstream Gender and Community Development in the EAC structures, organs and programmes and projects; To guide the preparation and implementation of gender responsive community development activities at different levels; To promote people-centred development and gender equality

    14. Women participation in cross border Trade East Africa Women constitute the larger proportion of those who practice the small scale cross border trade in East Africa region. Majority of them sell agricultural products such as grains, fruits, vegetables, This commerce is seen as a source of development and poverty reduction within the East African region

    15. Some of the challenges faced by women in cross-border trade Lack of information related to trade; Illiteracy; Harassment on some port of entry; Lack of market access; Access to finance in order to initiate or enhance their business; Profit margins very low; Lack of standardization of their product

    16. Challenges (cont.) Domestic responsibilities; Illicit cross-border trade /Parallel market which creates non fair competition.

    17. In order to take advantage of the opportunities created by the process of integration, the EAC/GCDF highlights the following actions to empower communities :

    18. Enhance both womens and mens access to regional and international markets: Facilitate entry of women and girls in the trade and services sector by providing training on ICT, e-commerce as well as their participation in cross-border, regional, and international trade.

    19. Promote the participation of women in trade negotiations as well as work to engendering trade policies through research, training, advocacy and networking.

    20. Build capacity of actors in the services sector to access skills, information, and credit for improved service delivery and higher level of competitiveness; Train communities on the EAC Customs Union opportunities and benefits to empower them to engage in business and trade; Facilitate the formation of women in business associations and networks.

    21. A Strategic Plan for the implementation of the EAC/GCDF is being formulated and will be ready by August 2009; A sensitization-training manual on EAC Treaty is being formulated by the Gender and Community Department in order to sensitize local governments, CSOs ad Community-based Organizations; A Regional Gender Policy has to be formulated and adopted by June 2010.

    22. Example of gender and Trade checklist Are Partner States measures to stimulate trade sector benefit women and men equally? Are women able to benefit from trade training programs? If there are constraints in womens participation, how can be they addressed? Factors to consider: distance to the training center, child care, curriculum (case studies focused on micro and small business or macro business?); Are women taking advantage of opportunities in cross-border trade? How to address their constraints?

    23. Example Who is in control of the means of trade such as transportation, storage and credit? What are the impacts of reduction in tariffs and the elimination of trade barriers in womens internal markets? What are the safeguard measures?

    24. In EAC, a study on Gender Dimensions of Cross-Border Trade is going to be undertaken with the support of ATPC; The findings of the study will be used to mainstream gender into EAC trade programs and projects.

    25. Thank you for your attention

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