King's Political Science student addresses World Trade Organization on gender and trade

Lorena Kettle, a third-year Political Science and Criminology student, participated in a panel presentation at the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Public Forum “Trading Forward: Adapting to a Changing World,” held October 8-11, 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland.

As part of the Forum, Kettle was on a panel, organized by Cargill, on the theme of "The Next Generation: what do Millennials and Generation Z want to see from the global trading system?”  

She was a member of a four-person panel that included a Public Policy and Global Relations Manager at Nestle, a Senior Policy Advisor on Agriculture, Trade and Food Security at the International Institute for Sustainable Development, and the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Colombia to the WTO. “This experience allowed me to gain insights from these brilliant panelists, and engage in a productive and actionable discussion,” says Kettle.

Kettle was selected on the strength of her position as a junior research assistant on a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) project “Gendering Global Trade.”

The project investigates the gendered impacts of global trade and assesses the possibilities and limitations of recent gender and trade initiatives to correct global inequalities and bring about productive global social change.

In her address to the panel, Kettle stated that gender equality is an important issue for youth. “I believe we have an opportunity to use trade as a lever to achieve gender equality. Trade impacts people in their multiple roles as workers, producers, consumers, and service users. On top of these roles, gender norms in society mean that women are care-givers and are therefore responsible for the majority of unpaid care work,” said Kettle.

Kettle drew on her research on women’s empowerment initiatives in global value chains, conducted during a King’s experiential learning trip to Ghana in 2019 as part of her Political Science studies. “The trip played a pivotal role in my academic and intellectual development,” she says.

Kettle cites Dr. Erin Hannah, Chair of King’s Political Science department, as “the reason I spoke at the WTO.” She says Dr. Hannah piqued her interest in gender and trade research and brought Kettle on as a junior research assistant on the "Gendering Global Trade" project.

“Dr. Hannah is my role model and mentor, and this opportunity would have not been possible without her mentorship and encouragement,” says Kettle.

"I believe integrating undergraduate students into research, mentoring, and creating opportunities for brilliant young women like Lorena are among the most important and impactful things I can do with Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) funding," says Dr. Hannah.

Being part of the panel was Kettle’s first time ever engaging in public speaking. “For it to be in front of a crowd at the WTO was life-changing. My approach to addressing the WTO was to remain confident in my knowledge that I was putting forth, and most of all take in this once-in-a-lifetime moment.”

The reaction to her address was “positive and encouraging” with several people reaching out to her afterwards to tell her the address was “hugely insightful”, piquing interest in gender and trade, she says.

For more information on the World Trade Organizations’ Public Forum 2019, please visit https://www.wto.org/english/forums_e/public_forum19_e/public_forum19_e.htm

For more information on King’s Political Science Department, please visit https://www.kings.uwo.ca/academics/politics-international-relations/