Did you know that diarrhea is the second leading cause of death among children under five in the world. Around 1.5 million deaths each year - nearly one in five – are caused by diarrhea. It kills more children than malaria, AIDS, and measles combined. Should access to clean water and sanitation be a priority for world leaders in the next development goals? Have YOUR say? HERE: www.myworld2015.org Millennium Development Goals, an Introduction For many industrialized nations, … [Read more...]
Mobile Money: IT for Tackling Global Poverty?
Did you know that 2.5 billion people in the world are without bank accounts? For many people in developing countries, it is simply too expensive to maintain a traditional brick-and-mortar bank account or the distance to a bank or ATM is too far to travel. This translates into greater economic insecurity for the people who need it most. You also may not have known that 2 billion of these people now have access to a cell phone, and that new mobile banking technologies are allowing millions … [Read more...]
The Women of the World are Depending on Us
“Economic policies that push out smallholders,” Ms. Khan added, “contribute to a damaging feminization of poverty. In this process, young girls, in particular, find themselves at the sharp end of gender violence.” The WFP-hosted event, which focused on the negative impact of violence against women on food security, also heard from panelist Lourdes Tiban, an Ecuadorean lawmaker of indigenous descent. Gender violence, she said, is not ordained by destiny. Ms. Tiban called for profound cultural … [Read more...]
“Leadership Course for Entrepreneurship”, Nueva Segovia
Members of the Nueva Segovia cooperative take part in the “Leadership Course for Entrepreneurship” to strengthen gender equality in the agricultural producers’ organizations supported by the Purchase for Progress (P4P) project. NUEVA SEGOVIA. –34 year-old Johana Martínez begins her final work for the “Leadership Course for Entrepreneurship” with a presentation called “A Personal Story”. The auditorium listens attentively, including those who will grade the work of the students prior to … [Read more...]
HALF the World is Women – “Ending Violence against Women and Girls”
This Forum was opened by the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, and facilitated by Ms. Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women, and included the participation of a range of senior leaders of UN agencies -- namely Ms. Rebeca Grynspan, UNDP Associate Administrator, Ms. Anne-Birgette Albrectsen, Deputy Executive Director, UNFPA, Ms. Geeta Rao Gupta, Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF, Ms Kyung-wha Kang, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, OHCHR. "Women's … [Read more...]
Gender and Food Security, Empowering Women for Global Food Security
Feed the Future Policy Analysis – Empowering Women for Global Food Security – In spite of persistent global efforts to address food security, it still remains an urgent problem. Women are heralded as the key players in solving the food crisis, however these crises are the result of inequities in the food distribution system; and therefore broader gender dynamics and relations of power need to be considered. By focusing only on women’s economic empowerment, USAID’s Feed the … [Read more...]
Joint Statement: Taking Action to End Water and Sanitation Inequalities
Joint Statement: End water and sanitation inequalities in the future development agenda The Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations, UNICEF, UN Women, WaterAid and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation. New York, 21 February 2013. "Today, the Government of Finland, UNICEF, UN Women, WaterAid and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation call on the international … [Read more...]
UN Women, Progress of the World’s Women
In many countries of the world, the rule of law still rules women out. In every region, there are laws that discriminate against women, in relation to property, the family, employment and citizenship. Too often, justice institutions, including the police and the courts, deny women justice. But, governments and civil society are pioneering innovative approaches to ensure that women can access justice. Catalyzing gender-sensitive law reform, investing in one-stop shops and providing … [Read more...]