Blogs

The clarion call of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is to leave no one behind, and to reach those furthest behind first.

Imagine you are a woman residing in a rural community. Your daily existence is a relentless juggling act, balancing meagre paid work with a multitude of domestic responsibilities. Your day involves arduous tasks like fetching water and firewood, cooking meals for your family, tending to your young children, and managing household chores.

She lives on the periphery of a bustling city, dreaming of one day moving to a place close to the public transportation grid. Let’s call her Mai, a young mother with an unwavering smile and a heart full of love. Her day begins before the sun has even thought about rising. As her family sleeps peacefully, she quietly tiptoes around her home, preparing breakfast and laying out the cloth

As the world celebrates Pride Month, we are confronted with the enduring reality of persistent inequalities that continue to shape the lives of marginalized communities worldwide. Gender equality, in particular, remains a resounding challenge, casting its shadow over the realm of infrastructure development.

As countries in Asia and the Pacific build back from the COVID-19 pandemic, they have a unique opportunity to empower women and advance gender equality by putting women at the heart of the recovery and response processes.

At the heart of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is the aim to eradicate poverty, realize human rights for all; achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls; and ensure lasting protection of the planet and its natural resources.

Throughout the years, Laxmi Shrestha and her husband saw the opportunities that opening an online shop could bring to her family business.

Increasing attention is being paid today to gender equality. There is growing awareness of the importance of narrowing gaps between girls and boys, women and men in all spheres of their lives - education, economic, human security, health, and wellbeing, etc.

Sustainability, inclusive development, diversity, resilience, to name a few, are terms and phrases often bandied about in the universe of discourse on international development. One that we hear a lot is “gender mainstreaming”.

As COVID-19 restrictions have started to ease in Bangkok, I stepped out this morning to get my usual stock of vegetables and fruits. As I walked down the street, I noticed that three businesses, all of them owned by women—a florist, stationery shop and a vegetable vendor—had shut down.