On 1 October 2024, the Network for Gender Equality and Diversity (GED) in Customs of the World Customs Organization (WCO) held its Fourth Online Global Conference, bringing together the Customs community to exchange views on GED's practices and latest developments in Customs administrations.

Following the increasing interest from WCO Members to further promote GED in Customs, the Network was formally launched on 8 March 2022 during the celebration of the International Women's Day. Reflecting the sustained trend of growing interest, the 2024 GED Network Conference, organized in a blended format, reached a new record of participation. It brought together more than 220 participants, an increase of around 50% in participation in comparison with last year's.

In his welcoming address, WCO Secretary General Ian Saunders recalled that Customs remains a male-dominated sector, with a global average of 36 % of women working in Customs, and an average of only 24% of women holding management positions. Such statistics indicate that there is still work to be done to achieve gender balance in Customs work environments. It is therefore our responsibility to create and implement policies and practices that foster a fair, safe, and inclusive work environment. He also stressed the importance of implementing external policies and procedures, whether related to trade facilitation or security, that are adapted to the needs of diverse groups of the population. Ultimately, this approach will help Customs better ensure its ability to meet its mission objectives.

The Conference also enjoyed a keynote speech by Ms. Valerie Picard, Head of Trade, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and member of the WCO Private Sector Consultative Group (PSCG), who highlighted the positive impacts a more gender responsive environment can have on economic growth, resilience and trade facilitation, as well as the importance of effective cooperation with the private sector. Ms. Picard also mentioned that women are underrepresented in national trade associations, which means that their views are often ignored in the design of trade policies.

Organized in two successive panels, high-level speakers from Brazil, the Gambia, India, Italy, Togo, Zimbabwe and the International Trade Center (ITC) exchanged views on the conference's two principal agenda topics, namely: i) how Customs administrations can promote safe and healthy work environments that prevent harassment, gender-based violence and discrimination; and ii) how they can promote more gender-responsive and inclusive trade facilitation measures.

Through the various interventions, it became clear that initiatives focusing on preventing harassment and discrimination can help to create a more inclusive, healthier and safer work environment in which employees can perform to their best potential. Listening to and proactively involving staff in these initiatives is key, as is having clear policies and frameworks in place.

Interventions during the second panel showed the importance of implementing proactive and targeted initiatives and services that meet the needs of specific segments of the population, including women traders, which in turn can spur the growth of businesses and enhance economic development. Speakers highlighted the fact that policies and procedures are not gender neutral and that tailor-made initiatives are needed, adapted to each specific context.

In his concluding remarks, WCO Deputy Secretary General Ricardo Treviño Chapa underlined the main take-aways of the Conference and shared his appreciation for the quality of the discussions, which provided interesting ideas and avenues of action for Customs administrations to advance the gender equality and diversity agenda.