The Hidden Costs of Crises: Gender, Inequality, and Recovery

Gender Lecture Series 2026-2027

Trade is often portrayed as a pathway to growth, resilience, and recovery from crises. But are economic crises – and the policies designed to address them – experienced in the same way by everyone? From geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruptions to food, energy, and financial shocks, the consequences of crises are shaped by unequal access to resources, labour market segmentation, and unpaid care responsibilities. By examining who bears the costs of crises and who benefits from recovery, this lecture invites participants to rethink some of the assumptions underlying trade policy and to explore what they may be overlooking.

Speaker bio: Simonetta Zarrilli is a leading trade analyst with over 30 years of experience in the United Nations system. Her work has focused on policy analysis, capacity-building, and international dialogue on trade and development. Simonetta is currently an advisor to the Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade, ARTNeT, and a founding member of the WTO Gender Research Hub. In 2010, she launched UNCTAD’s Trade, Gender and Development Programme, which she directed until her retirement from the organization in 2024. Over the course of her career, she has addressed a wide range of issues – from renewable energy and biotechnology to health and environmental services, and preferential tariff schemes – and has published extensively on these topics. In recognition of her groundbreaking work linking trade and gender equality, Simonetta received the WTO’s inaugural Gender Equality Pioneering Award in 2023. She holds a law degree with highest honours from the University of Siena in Italy and a postgraduate degree in European Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges.

Participation is open to the public and free or charge.