UN Women estimates that during the first month of the pandemic, informal workers lost an average of 60 percent of their income: with losses as high as 81% in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. In low-income countries pre-pandemic, just one in four businesses were owned by women, and their access to financial products and services was often limited – even though …
Unlocking social entrepreneurship’s transformative potential for gender justice
On Social and Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, we celebrate the women who are innovating every day to respond to the problems they face in their communities, challenging a system that is stacked against them. Social entrepreneurship (SE), as a tool to drive inclusive growth and development, is a growing trend globally and in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. …
Lessons in innovative financing for creating employment in the Middle East and North Africa
Background Emerging market economies face a significant credit gap and access to finance is considered the biggest obstacle for enterprises. Banks have been the traditional source of funding, but the financial crisis has led banks to be even more reluctant, which is creating an active debate about the importance of broadening the range of funding options available beyond banks. Such …
The $100 billion dollar question: what does the latest OECD report tell us?
Climate change is deadly, costly, and those least responsible for causing it are being hardest hit. In 2009 developed countries* committed to mobilise $100 billion per year by 2020 to help developing countries adapt to climate change and reduce their emissions. Two weeks ago Oxfam published its Shadow report on climate finance 2020 which assesses progress towards that goal based …
Initial Findings on Emergent Agency in a time of Covid – launch webinar and briefing
In September we kicked off a really interesting project on ‘Emergent Agency in a Time of Covid’ asking people if they wanted to be part of a collective effort to share and discuss the grassroots responses to the pandemic and start to explore their longer-term legacy.
Voices of Tajik Women during Covid
the stories of three Tajik women, sharing their challenges, their successes and how they persevere, in their own words.
Counting care: Everything you need to know about the new Household Care Survey toolkit
‘What doesn’t get measured doesn’t get seen’. I’ve heard this phrase so many times but never has it felt truer than when it comes to unpaid care and domestic work. Unpaid care and domestic work is the vital work that keeps our societies and economies ticking, keeping us healthy, nourished and nurtured and keeping our homes clean and tidy. But …
Majandra’s Journey: Climate, Covid and Care
“From an ecofeminist perspective, we understand that the sustainability of life should be at the front and center of our economic system, instead of profit and competition. That means valuing care work. It means valuing low-carbon jobs. It means valuing the sustainability of all life.” – Majandra Rodríguez Acha. This is the fourth episode of a mini-series, in collaboration with …
Still Behind Closed Doors: Afghan Women’s Meaningful Participation in Peace Talks
Jorritt Kaminga looks at how women’s involvement in Afghan Peace Talks has changed since 2014.
Top Resources for Global Handwashing Day
Global Handwashing Day takes place on the 15th of October. This year it comes with added prominence in our calendar. Coronavirus has heightened the importance of handwashing across the world. In the humanitarian and development sector, handwashing has long been central to disease prevention and programme design. In this blog, we’ve compiled some of our most popular resources on everything handwashing. From tools …