At the 11th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference (MC11) held on 1013 December 2017 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 118 WTO members and observers agreed to support the Joint Declaration on Trade and Women’s Economic Empowerment (JDTWEE), aimed at generating a framework for making trade and development policies more gender-responsive. The differential impact of international trade agreements on men and women is well documented, as are the benefits of gender equality for trade performance and economic growth (IANWGE, 2011). The Joint Declaration is a welcome first step, although there is no negotiating agenda, nor any intention to bring the issues to the WTO in the short to medium term. Proponents have agreed to collectively undertake some activities in the context of the WTO, raising the possibility of incorporating gender issues into multilateral trade negotiations in the future. This Trade Hot Topic explores the possibility of incorporating gender issues into multilateral trade negotiations at the WTO, as well as discussing the likely implications for least developed countries (LDCs), small, vulnerable economies (SVEs) and sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. It also suggests that LDCs, SVEs and SSA countries conduct ex-ante assessments, which will provide them with a clear way forward in relation to fashioning appropriate responses and meaningfully participating in trade and gender activities at the WTO as and when they arise. Please read this Paper at: http://snip.ly/6x2bzk