Britain pushes for women’s rights in Gulf trade talks
BRITAIN will push for women’s “economic empowerment” to be included as part of newly launched trade talks with the Gulf states.
Negotiators will aim to ensure women can access the full benefits of a potential free trade agreement with the Gulf Co-operation Council, despite extreme gender inequality within member states.
Anne-marie Trevelyan, the Trade Secretary, will travel to Riyadh today to kick off talks with the bloc, made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
She is hoping to boost financial services and manufacturing sales to the bloc, whose members are attempting to diversify away from reliance on petrochemical production into other industries. The GCC is collectively the UK’S seventh largest export market.
A Department for International Trade spokesman confirmed to The Daily Telegraph that the UK would push on gender equality as part of talks.
“The UK is committed to ensuring that our trade policy supports women’s economic empowerment and furthers our efforts to promote gender equality,” they said.
The UK has previously signed up to commitments on gender as part of trade deals, including a dedicated chapter in its free trade agreement with Canada. All six GCC states routinely score poorly on measures of women’s rights.
Britain’s trade overtures to the region have drawn controversy, with particular scrutiny of Saudi Arabia’s record on human rights, exploitation of migrant workers and oppression of women and LGBT+ people.
Reacting to the launch of talks, TUC deputy general Paul Nowak, said: “The Gulf states’ appalling record on human rights and workers’ rights is no secret. And yet the Government is rushing into trade talks, no questions asked.”
DIT claims a deal with the GCC could be worth £1.6bn a year to the UK economy. It is the fourth set of trade talks Britain has begun this year, after India, Canada and Mexico. Negotiators are hoping to knock down tariffs on foods to boost British producers and farmers.