Improving Pakistan’s International Trade Competitiveness Via Capacity Development

Kaizen provided technical assistance in human and institutional capacity development and targeted senior- and mid-level, short-term personnel. The human capacity advisor managed a PREIA initiative to increase women’s participation in the trade sector. It influenced programming and policy at the national level to address gender-based constraints to trade and promoted efforts to mainstream gender into trade-related policies, processes, and activities. In addition, Kaizen staff facilitated business-to-business meetings and trade linkages between companies in Pakistan and other Central Asian countries.

PREIA created, organized, and facilitated the Women Leadership in Trade Policy (WLTP) program to generate discussion among women from business, legal, academic, and trade associations on how to better include women in Pakistan’s trade policy formulation process. WLTP had three modules: “Introduction to Trade Policy,” “Strategic Trade Policy Framework,” and “What Is Trade Policy Advocacy.” The program identified 30 women and men who could be trained further on the WLTP development agenda through a series of months. Follow-up activities included a public-private-sector consultation seminar, WLTP research on gender equity in trade, development of a monitoring and evaluation system for trade officers, and training guidance and facilitation for officers from the Pakistan Institute of Trade and Development with the World Trade Institute.