The Issue | Women Thrive's House Testimony | What We Can Do

The U.S. currently has special trade programs, called Trade Preference Programs, which make it easier for poor countries get their products to U.S. markets.  Ironically though, the people who most need them – women - are often unable to access these programs. Women Thrive has proposed extending and improving U.S. trade preference programs for Africa to help millions of women in Africa benefit from trade’s poverty-fighting potential.

On July 12 2007, Women Thrive (named Women's Edge Coalition at the time) testified before the U.S. House of Representatives on the importance of keeping and improving the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), an important U.S. Trade Preference Program that has helped many African countries trade with the U.S. and create jobs for the poor. AGOA has helped create thousands of jobs in clothing and textiles industries -– 45,000 jobs in Swaziland, 26,000 in Lesotho, and 30,000 in Kenya.  Ninety percent of these jobs have gone to women with few other opportunities.

Katrin, Rosemary Segero of the African International Forum, Shamarukh Modiuddin of GlobalWorks Foundation, at the testimony

At the House testimony, Katrin Kuhlmann, Women Thrive's Senior Vice President for Global Trade, spoke passionately before Members, urging them to extend AGOA which is set to expire in 2015. But as important as it is to keep AGOA, Katrin told Members, this is an opportunity for the U.S. to expand and improve all Trade Preference Programs

including AGOA, so that they help those who most need them: women living in poverty. “For women living in poor countries, the ability to sell their products to the U.S. can literally mean the difference between surviving and starving,” Katrin said.

Women Thrive has propsed five ways the U.S. can improve Trade Preference Programs, including AGOA, to help as many women as possible escape poverty:

• Remove all trade restrictions for the world's poorest countries. Trade Preference programs often don’t include the products that are most important to women. For Africa, for example, AGOA places restrictions on agriculture, on which the majority of women depend. For the poorest countries -  like AGOA countries, Least Developed Countries (LDC’s) and countries vulnerable to natural disasters - the U.S. should remove all trade restrictions, such as duties and quotas, and allow them to have full access to the U.S. market.

• Help developing countries improve their ability to trade. No matter how good their products, it is almost impossible for Africans to get their clothing, crafts, or coffee to the U.S. market without transportation, credit, training and the right paperwork. Trade Preference Programs should include assistance to help poor countries get around these barriers.
  
  
• Protect Women From Workplace Discrimination. U.S. Trade Preference Programs can go a long way in creating jobs for African women. But if they are to really help women to escape poverty in the long run, they should create jobs that are high-quality, safe and productive. To do this, Trade Preference Programs should protect women from workplace discrimination.
  
  
• Simplify Trade Preference Programs and make them permanent. Often, preference programs expire too quickly or are too confusing and numerous for poor countries to take advantage of them. They should be combined into one clear, efficient, and permanent program.  
  
  
• Give Africa the attention it needs. Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa, faces extreme challenges including HIV-AIDS, hunger, and conflict, and women bear the brunt of their consequences. About 924 million people live in Africa, 12 percent of the world’s population, but Africa accounts for only two percent of the world's trade. The inability to trade with the world is a major reason why most African's live on less than two dollars a day, not enough to even cover the cost of nutritious food and healthcare. By addressing Africa's unique needs,Trade Preference Programs like AGOA can make a big difference in women’s lives.