Walking in the Dark: informal Cross-border trade ... - International Alert

About International Alert
International Alert is an independent peacebuilding organisation that has worked for 26 years to lay the
foundations for lasting peace and security in communities directly affected by violent conflict. We also
seek to influence the policies and practices adopted by governments, international organisations such
as the UN, and multinational corporations in an effort to reduce the risk of conflict and improve the
prospects for peace.
We maintain a presence in Africa, several Asian regions, the South Caucasus and Latin America, and we
have recently begun working in the United Kingdom. Our thematic projects work at several key levels
directly related to the development of peace and security. These include the economy, climate change,
gender, the role of international institutions, the impact of development aid and the effects of good and
bad governance.
International Alert is one of the world’s largest peacebuilding NGOs, with more than 159 employees
based in London and 14 offices around the world. For further information about the work we do and the
countries in which we maintain a presence, please visit www.international-alert.org.
About UN Women
The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) is an
organisation created in July 2010 as a result of the merger of four distinct UN agencies working for
women’s rights worldwide. UN Women mainly focuses on supporting inter-governmental bodies in their
formulation of policies, global standards and norms and giving member states technical assistance for
the proper implementation of these rules. Rooted in the recognition of the special challenges faced
by women around the world, UN Women’s first goal is to enhance equality between men and women
as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and
security. UN Women regional programme for Women in Informal Cross Border Trade (WICBT) in the
Great Lakes region is focused on wealth creation and poverty reduction among these women. Building
on partnerships with regional, governmental, UN and civil society organisations, the programme has
so far put in place actions intended for the inclusion of WICBT in national and regional protocols and
strategies. Pilot activities directed to these women were also implemented in the three countries of the
Great Lakes region. www.unwomen.org
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