Central Asia Regional Trade Liberalization and Customs (RTLC) Project
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Central Asia Regional Trade Liberalization and Customs Project (RTLC) project fostered economic growth for men and women and improved the competitiveness of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan by upgrading the conditions for international and cross-border trade and transit. As a subcontractor to AECOM, Banyan Global supported gender mainstreaming on the project to enable men and women equal access to project activities, including policy and decision-making, trading operations, access to business opportunities, upgrading of skills, and information-sharing. This support included examining systemic constraints to female traders and entrepreneurs and working with local organizations to adopt more gender-friendly programs and policies. Banyan Global designed the research tools including focus groups and survey instruments, developed a research methodology, and trained non-profit organizations in all of the countries on the research.