By Iñigo Alexander* BOGOTÁ, Colombia | 11 December 2024 (IDN) — The Amazon rainforest in southern Colombia stretches lush and green across the horizon, but beneath its dense canopy lies a shifting reality. The southern province of Putumayo—a remote region bordering Ecuador, at the edge of the country’s Amazon—has long been dominated by coca plantations […]
Call for Accelerating Progress Eradicating Violence Against Women and Girls.
By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK | VIENNA | 27 November 2024 (IDN) — The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25 November was commemorated the brutal assassination of the Mirabal sisters in the Dominican Republic on 25 November 1960, whose activism and sacrifice galvanized global attention towards efforts to end violence […]
Report Reveals Harrowing Truth Behind Africa’s Hidden Rape Crisis
By Kizito Makoye DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania | 27 November 2024 (IDN) — A 17-year-old Adebi* recalls how her life changed forever after the war that tore through the walls of her house in Northwest Cameroon in 2019, leaving indelible scars in the way she never imagined. “Some men broke in and raped me and […]
Ukrainian Women Drive Humanitarian Response and Recovery Amid Growing Security Threats
By Lakshmi Thor KYIV | NEW YORK | 19 November 2024 (IDN) — As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine entered its 1,000th day on 18 November, civilians, women, and girls in Ukraine are enduring deadly intensified attacks across major cities, amid an increasing humanitarian emergency and a feared energy crisis. The war continues to have […]
Women Micro Entrepreneurs with Gender Sensitive Financial Services
By Darshni Nagaria, Sara Niner and Elena Mayer-Bestin* BANGKOK | 7 November 2024 (IDN) — The financing needs of entrepreneurs varies depending on business size, reason for starting a business and opportunities for enterprise growth. Typically, necessity-driven entrepreneurs start a business venture to support themselves and their families’ livelihoods when there is a lack of […]
Women Killed in Armed Conflicts Doubles in 2023
By Caroline Mawanga New York | 23 October 2024 (IDN) — A new UN report on Women, Peace, and Security, led by UN Women, has painted dismal picture: The effects of war and conflict on women and girls are worsening. In 2023, the proportion of women killed in armed conflicts doubled compared to 2022. Four […]
Informal Summit of The Future: International Youth Conference
By Bisma Qamar* NEW YORK | 19 October 2024 (IDN) — The summit of the future was held during the General Assembly session last month with the theme of multilateral solutions for a better future. One of the prominent chapters which was highlighted was youth and future generations. Following the summit, the 10th edition of […]
Is Africa’s Digital Revolution Leaving Women Behind?
By Efe Ukala The writer is Founder of ImpactHER NEW YORK | 17 October 2024 (IDN) — As Africa stands on the cusp of a digital revolution, a stark reality emerges: women and girls are being left behind. As the sun rises over Mbiri, Nigeria, Nkem is already awake in her family’s modest home on […]
UN Women Faults Lack of Protection Measures
By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK | 16 October 2024 (IDN) — UN Women,the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, has called on governments to provide women and girls with sustainable pathways out of poverty, by prioritizing the needs of women and girls in their social protection measures and crisis […]
Championing a Supportive Culture for Women’s Political Leadership in Sri Lanka
By Shihana Mohamed NEW YORK | 3 October 2024 (IDN) — On September 23, 2024, Sri Lanka witnessed a historic moment as Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) was sworn in as the nation’s president. This marked the first time since Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948 that voters elected a candidate outside the country’s traditional ruling […]