Gender dialogues for sustainable development

It was a little ironic. The opening session of the UN's Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) this week had five men in a row speaking on gender equality. However, it wasn't planned this way. Speaker number 3, the President of the UN Economic and Social Council, was called away to a family emergency, as her (male) replacement wryly noted: "so instead of the female president, you are getting the male vice president, adding to the agenda disbalance of this opening”. There were dry chuckles in the room. Despite the not-to-ideal opening, I found the CSW68 opening session inspiring and impactful. During this session, and some of the others I have attended this week, we were reminded of the stark inequalities that persist around the world. Some particularly resonant take aways from me have been: 👉 Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres' powerful opening speech, where he stated: "Patriarchy is far from vanquished – it is regaining ground, autocrats and others are promoting ‘traditional values’. Patriarchy is an age old tradition. We don’t want to bring it back, we want to turn it back. We don’t want granddaughters to enjoy less freedoms than their grandmothers had". I found this very moving. 👉 UN Women Executive Director, Sima Bahous' address, where she explained: "Poverty continues to have a women’s face. More women experience poverty than men. 1 in 10 women live in extreme poverty. 342m women and girls will be living in poverty by 2030 at current rate of progress". Wow, just wow. 👉 UN Women Senior Data and Policy Specialist, Ginette Azcona's update on progress against the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): With only 6 years remaining until the 2030 target, NONE of the 17 SDGs have been met, and only 2 are close to target. There has been very little progress since last year. And if that isn't depressing enough, consider these facts: 👉 54% of countries still lack key laws on gender equality, including on equal rights to enter a marriage and initiate a divorce 👉 Globally women hold just 27% of seats in parliament 👉 With the current (slow) pace of change, women are on track to hold just 30% of managerial roles by 2030 👉 At the current (slow) rate of progress, by 2050 women will spend on average an additional 2.3 hours per day on unpaid care and domestic work than men. The time is NOW to lean forward and take meaningful actions to accelerate the pace of change. Not sure what to do? How about signing up to the UN's Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs): https://www.weps.org/about You can check here whether your organisation is a WEPs signatory, and if not, ask your leadership team why not: https://lnkd.in/eHgu2cRC #GenderEquality #GenderEquity https://lnkd.in/eWfeqHrY

Snapshot of gender equality across the SDGs. 🔎 The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are intrinsically linked to gender equality beyond the explicit targets set by Goal 5. It is critical for governments and companies to adopt a gender lens in addressing the SDGs, recognizing that gender disparities intersect with broader developmental challenges. This approach is not only a matter of social justice but also an economic imperative, with clear evidence that gender equality can drive sustainable growth and benefit society as a whole. A data-centric review of the current status of gender equality within the framework of the SDGs reveals the following: ▪ Poverty: Predictions show that over 340 million women and girls will be in extreme poverty by 2030 if trends persist. To achieve the SDG's 'No Poverty' target, the pace of progress must be accelerated 26 times faster than the current rate. ▪ Hunger: Food insecurity threatens to affect one in four women and girls by 2030. Closing gender gaps in agrifood systems could potentially boost global GDP by $1 trillion. ▪ Health: Maternal mortality rates declined by a third globally between 2000 and 2020 but have not improved since 2015, indicating a need for focused health interventions. ▪ Economic Empowerment: An investment of an additional $360 billion per year is estimated to be necessary for achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment, which are vital for ending poverty and hunger. ▪ Education: Disparities persist in educational attainment, with 60% of girls versus 57% of boys completing upper secondary education, suggesting that parity in education has not yet translated into universality. ▪ Labor and Employment: The workforce participation gap is notable, with a significant disparity in earnings where women make 51 cents for every dollar that men earn. ▪ Political Representation: Despite progress, women are still underrepresented in political and managerial roles, which impacts decision-making processes and policy development. ▪ Urban Development: Without inclusive urban planning, it is estimated that 1.05 billion women and girls could be living in inadequate housing conditions by 2050. ▪ Climate Impact: Climate change is poised to disproportionately affect women and girls, with millions at risk of poverty and increased food insecurity. The data underscores the necessity for integrated strategies that address gender disparities as part of the broader sustainable development agenda. The advancement of gender equality is not only a standalone goal but also a catalyst for achieving all SDGs. Source: THE GENDER SNAPSHOT 2023 (UN) #sdgs #sdgs2030 #sustainability #sustainable #gender #genderequality #sustainabledevelopment #climatechange #genderequity

How Behavioral Science-Based Interventions Can Reduce the Harmful Effects of Climate Change How can we protect pregnant and postpartum women from the increasingly harsh effects of extreme heat? A new community-based initiative in Kilifi, Kenya offers promising answers. Researchers and practitioners co-designed a behavioral science-based intervention that reduced health risks from heat exposure for pregnant women, new mothers, and their infants. Why Kilifi? Kilifi is one of Kenya’s poorest counties, where daily life—fetching water, cooking, farming—often takes place in intense heat with little infrastructure or support. Pregnant women are expected to carry on without assistance, despite the risks of heat-related complications. What did the implementers do? They developed and delivered a five-month behavior change intervention using Digital Audio-Visual (DAV) storytelling and group discussions. Crucially, the program actively engaged male partners, mothers-in-law, and community influencers like local chiefs and health officers. Key messages focused on: - Recognizing the health risks of extreme heat - Adjusting daily routines to avoid peak heat hours - Reducing physical workloads during pregnancy and postpartum - Promoting hydration and frequent breastfeeding - Encouraging male and family support What changed? Women reported increased knowledge, adopted heat-avoiding behaviors (like shifting chores to early mornings), and saw a boost in household support. Male spouses began fetching water, cooking, and caring for infants. But change is never simple. Some men faced stigma for helping with “women’s work.” This highlighted a recurring theme in social norms work: as behavior changes, new norms must be supported and legitimized. Interventions that challenge entrenched gender roles must anticipate—and address—social resistance. What we learned: Community-led design works: Interventions stick when they're culturally grounded and co-developed. Norms matter: Change isn’t just individual—it’s collective, and involves the household and wider community. Support networks are critical: Male involvement, when carefully structured, improves outcomes—but sustainability needs ongoing community dialogue. Visual storytelling is powerful: The tools resonated deeply in a setting with strong oral traditions. This project demonstrates that climate adaptation must be gender-aware and behavioral-insights informed. As global temperatures rise, we need more interventions that center the lived realities of vulnerable groups—and that challenge social norms in smart, sustainable ways. Would love to hear from others working at the intersection of gender, climate, and health. What approaches have worked in your settings? #MaternalHealth #ClimateAdaptation #BehaviorChange #SocialNorms #GenderEquality #CommunityHealth #Kenya #GlobalHealth #DigitalStorytelling #HeatHealth #LMICs #PublicHealthInnovation #CHVs #HealthSystems #ReproductiveHealth

Gender Mainstreaming in Practice A #must #read #toolkit This Gender Mainstreaming in Practice Toolkit is a resource designed to bridge the gap between gender analysis and actionable policy interventions. The Toolkit offers Gender Briefs that spotlight the critical linkages between gender and diverse policy areas. While not exhaustive, they provide rich insights supported by case studies and practical illustrations of gender mainstreaming in action. 📌 The Toolkit covers a wide spectrum of sectors, including: ●Poverty & Labour ●Macroeconomics & Trade ●Private Sector Development ●Education & Health ●Energy & Environment ●Governance & Participation ●Human Rights & Justice ●Science, Research & ICTs ●Crisis Prevention & Recovery ●HIV and AIDS This is more than just a knowledge product—it is a practical guide for policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and advocates committed to ensuring that no policy is gender-blind and that development processes are both inclusive and equitable. ✨ By integrating gender considerations across these critical areas, we take a step closer to achieving sustainable, inclusive, and transformative development outcomes. #GenderEquality #GenderMainstreaming #Policy #InclusiveDevelopment #Equity

Gender-sensitive data collection and estimation are essential for producing statistics that reflect the realities of both women and men. This training module was developed under the Asia-Pacific Network of Statistical Training Institutes to provide statisticians, researchers and civil society with practical guidance on integrating gender perspectives into data processes, from collection to estimation and analysis . This module covers the following key aspects: – Rationale and learning objectives for mainstreaming gender in data systems – Integration of gender considerations in censuses, administrative records, registries and household surveys – Specific guidance for time-use surveys and violence against women surveys, addressing design, sampling and interviewer training – Common gender biases in data processes and strategies to minimise them through careful design and training – Methods for gender data estimation, including identifying research questions, applying international standards and developing tabulation plans – Use of internationally agreed metadata and repositories (UNSD, ILO, WHO, UNESCO, FAO) to align concepts and methods – Recommendations for multi-level sex disaggregation and intersectional analysis across population groups The content emphasises that gender must be integrated at all stages of statistical work—from questionnaire design and sample selection to interviewer training and coding—to avoid bias and ensure relevance. By using international standards, engaging gender specialists and applying careful disaggregation, the module equips practitioners to generate more accurate, inclusive and policy-relevant gender statistics that can inform sustainable development and social equity.

I am very pleased to share a new UNDP resource: Integrated Actions for Accelerated Impact: Putting Gender Equality and Social Inclusion at the Heart of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). In collaboration with Raquel Lagunas del Amo and Jennifer Baumwoll, this publication has been released jointly by the Climate Hub, Gender Team and Nature Hub. Advancing gender equality and social inclusion is vital to addressing climate change and halting biodiversity loss. Deeply entrenched gender social norms and intersecting bias and discrimination impact how women, girls, Indigenous Peoples and local communities experience climate change and environmental degradation. Addressing these inequalities and targeting gender gaps that are chronic barriers to human and sustainable development can have a powerful multiplying effect. As we are now in the midst of the ‘Tri-Cop’ period (#COP16Colombia, #COP29, and #UNCCDCOP16) – the convergence of three major environmental international conferences occurring within a span of seven weeks – this resource underscores the interconnectedness of the crises they address and their solutions. The knowledge product presents joint actionable entry points on gender equality and social inclusion across both NBSAPs and Nationally Determined Contributions NDCs, to foster gender-responsive and inclusive governance, financing, planning, and monitoring throughout environmental and climate policy and planning processes. We encourage you to use this resource as a guide to support countries to accelerate gender equality and social inclusion considerations in their climate and biodiversity efforts, promoting transformative change that benefits both people and the planet in line with our institutional commitments under the Climate Promise, Gender Equality Strategy and Nature Pledge. Download the publication here: https://lnkd.in/eTYRpRJ8