The dimension of Gender Equality
Through free trade and investment agreements and treaties (bilateral, plurilateral or multilateral), many state policies have been liberalized, granting free movement to capital, unlimited growth and power to multinational corporations and heavy dependency on the Global Value Chain (GVC). This occurs more often than not, at the expense of small and medium size businesses, local and domestic industries and the regulatory capacity of the state, everywhere in the world but especially so in developing countries, to the detriment of the environment, human rights and gender equality. This pandemic has revealed firstly, the precarity of the GVC, with its collapse around the world; secondly, the myth of «free trade”, as countries introduced endless trade barriers and began hoarding of many goods and supplies immediately when the pandemic started, at a time when the flow of many of these necessary good and supplies should be ensured more than ever so people can get access to PPEs, medical supplies and food; and finally, at a time when governments should be having the necessary and relevant domestic policy space to determine how best to tackle and deal with the pandemic, many governments are fearful of the consequences from the trade and investment regimes their actions can bring.
