ITC and ApexBrasil launch SheTrades Brazil Hub, ITC and MDIC release women-related policy findings

(Brasília/Geneva) – Women entrepreneurs across Brazil are set to grow their businesses and access new markets with the launch of a resource centre by the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) and the International Trade Centre (ITC), on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting.

Only 14% of exporting companies in Brazil have women-majority boards, according to the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC).

The resource centre in Brasilia – called the SheTrades Brazil Hub, hosted by ApexBrasil – joins a network of 18 SheTrades Hubs worldwide, set up to equip women entrepreneurs with the information, skills and networks they need to boost their participation in global trade, so they can earn higher incomes, create jobs and invest in their communities. 

As part of the global network that spans Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East and North Africa, ApexBrasil will participate in institutional strengthening workshops and collaborate with the other SheTrades Hubs to improve and expand their service offerings available to women entrepreneurs. The SheTrades Brazil Hub launch event is part of the United Kingdom-funded SheTrades Programme.

The SheTrades Brazil Hub is integrated into the ApexBrasil Women and International Business Programme, launched in 2023. By June 2024, the programme had carried out 75 actions focused on qualification, investment and international trade promotion, impacting more than 1,500 Brazilian women-led companies from all Brazilian states, with the support of more than 70. The work of the Women and International Business Programme resulted in a win at the 2024 World Trade Promotion Organizations Awards.

ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton and ApexBrasil President Jorge Viana and Business Director Ana Repezza signed a memorandum of understanding to launch the SheTrades Brazil Hub, with the presence of companies, authorities and representatives of Brazilian institutions relevant to women’s entrepreneurship and international business.

ITC Executive Director Coke-Hamilton said: ‘When women entrepreneurs export, they tend to earn more, pay more, employ more people and be more productive. With the launch of our latest SheTrades Hub in the largest country in Latin America, we’re excited to see more Brazilian women succeed in trade so they can support their families and communities.’

ApexBrasil Business Director Repezza said: ‘ApexBrasil’s partnership with ITC for the implementation of the SheTrades Hub in Brazil represents an important step towards achieving the goals of the Women and International Business Programme to increase the participation of Brazilian women-led companies in global value chains and in the Brazilian export base, fostering greater gender equality in international business in line with the principle of inclusion present in Brazilian public policies. The SheTrades Hub will also promote closer ties between Brazil and other participating countries for business generation and connection with new partner organizations.’

She also pointed out the importance of Brazil’s inclusion in SheTrades Outlook, which provides inputs to achieving these results.

This Hub partnership is part of a broader, ongoing collaboration between ApexBrasil and ITC, marked by a letter of intent also signed today, to partner on priority areas of work, such as digital connectivity and e-commerce, development of business models for goods and services of the bioeconomy, and integration of trade and market intelligence tools into ApexBrasil’s offerings.

Brazil is working to bring the topic of women in international trade to the forefront of Brazil’s G20 presidency and is incorporating trade and gender chapters in recent trade agreement negotiations.

Following the SheTrades Brazil Hub launch, ITC and the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services co-organized a workshop, bringing together various stakeholders to highlight good practices and identify areas for progress to support women in trade. The discussion was based on new data obtained from ITC’s SheTrades Outlook survey of 23 public and private institutions in the country.

Funded by United Kingdom International Development through the SheTrades Commonwealth+ Programme, SheTrades Outlook maps countries’ policy environment – based on 55 policy indicators and the collection and analysis of gender-disaggregated data – to promote women’s participation in business and trade, supporting a country’s sustainable economic growth. Results from the tool highlight progress made by Brazil in areas such as: 

SheTrades Outlook results also help identify areas for progress. Detailed information on the results in Brazil can be found in the Brazil policy brief, available here.

Tatiana Prazeres, Brazil’s Foreign Trade Secretary, noted: ‘The launch of SheTrades Outlook marks an important step in gathering insights that align with and support Brazil’s ongoing efforts to foster more inclusive trade. This initiative complements the work we’ve been doing to create greater opportunities for women-led businesses.’

She added: ‘Our collaboration with ITC on SheTrades Outlook has facilitated critical discussions and identified actionable steps to further our efforts in supporting women in trade, while ensuring these efforts align with our broader national goals.’

This year, as one of the knowledge partners of G20 Brazil, ITC SheTrades contributed to discussions within the Trade and Investment Working Group and called for bolder action on partnerships, data collection, reducing the compliance cost of non-tariff measures and gender-responsive public procurement.