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This report summarizes the main challenges that men- and women-led companies (also referred to as traders or trade firms) and customs brokers face in undertaking cross-border trade of merchandise goods in the Republic of Tajikistan. The report also provides recommendations to address these challenges. Global research has shown that the expansion of international trade is essential for poverty reduction, and it provides better job opportunities and increased returns, particularly for women working in export-oriented sectors. Oftentimes, however, women may face more or different challenges than men that prevent them from fully participating in trade. While globally there is a growing body of research on why women participate less in cross-border trade than men, there is still a lack of data and research that quantifies the exact nature of the trade facilitation challenges that women traders face at the firm level. Generally, trade facilitation measures are assumed to be nondiscriminatory in their design; however, implementing and delivering these measures may not necessarily impact all traders similarly. Studies by the World Bank, for example, found that men and women traders often face different trade facilitation challenges, including in areas such as access to information, usage of electronic payments, submission of electronic documents, pre-declaration of goods, consultations with the government, and participation in trade or industry- specific associations. This study in Tajikistan explored a range of topics, primarily within the scope of the World Trade Organization's Trade Facilitation Agreement (WTO TFA), including experiences with public consultations and enquiry points, clearance and release of goods, formalities connected with import and export and transit procedures, detentions of goods, appeal or review procedures, and publication and availability of information. Areas beyond the WTO TFA, such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, transport, and safety and security issues at the borders, were also researched. Data collection for this report was done via phone survey interviews across Tajikistan and was complemented by qualitative research methods, such as focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and technical visits to select border crossings in the country. The work was built upon a similar methodology developed and used in other surveys by the World Bank Group. The data collected in the study and the resultant analysis contribute to the literature on trade and gender. Importantly, the report helps fill a significant knowledge gap in Tajikistan, where there is no robust country-representative research shedding light on gender-specific challenges faced by cross-border traders. This study adds to the increasingly important dialogue on addressing gender equality issues in trade policies. The study may be useful to the government of Tajikistan, development organizations, and others in ensuring that trade interventions can benefit all traders equally.

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