Nearly 65% of adults in the Arab region remain excluded from formal financial systems, according to a new report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). The Annual SDG Review 2025 paints a sobering picture of persistent financial exclusion that is undermining the region’s ability …
Gender inequality is a major cause and effect of hunger and poverty, with women and girls comprising 60 percent of the global hungry. Women face multiple challenges (such as limited access to education and employment opportunities) that curtail their economic autonomy and weaken their bargaining position within the family, consequently …
Agricultural commercialization is often pursued as an important driver of agricultural transformation in low-income countries. However, the implications it can have on gendered outcomes are less understood. While agricultural commercialization creates opportunities to increase income, this may come at the expense of change in women’s decision-making agency and control over …
Women’s Voice & Agency beyond the household (VABH) has increasingly been recognized as critical to strengthening resilience, increasing women’s access to important resources, improving women’s decision-making power, and facilitating broader social networks (Njuki et al. 2022). Despite rapidly intensifying climate change in recent years, a knowledge gap persists as to …
Climate change is reshaping the development scope of the Asia-Pacific region, with the risks from tropical cyclones, floods, droughts, and storms increasing significantly. Although some countries in the region are among the lowest carbon emitters in the world, they are some of the most impacted by climate-related extreme weather. Countries …
Women play a key role in environmental protection and social and economic development in mountain areas. They are often the primary managers of mountain resources, guardians of biodiversity and keepers of traditional knowledge. Empowering rural women is crucial to eradicating hunger and poverty. Yet, due to discriminatory social norms, rural …
The Office of the Registrar General, India under the Ministry of Home Affairs, apart from conducting the Population Census and monitoring the implementation of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act in the country, has been giving estimates on fertility and mortality using the Sample Registration System (SRS). SRS is …
Analysis by the UN ahead of World AIDS Day reveals that inequalities are obstructing the end of AIDS. On current trends the world will not meet agreed global targets on AIDS. But the new UNAIDS report, Dangerous Inequalities, shows that urgent action to tackle inequalities can get the AIDS response …
The “Climate Equity: Women as Agents of Change” Report has been jointly produced by the National Commission on Status of Women and UNDP Pakistan. The findings of the report have emerged from an extensive desk review of policies and sectoral practices, followed by key informant interviews and countrywide consultative sessions …
This brief delves deeper into the relationship between food insecurity, gender inequality and gender-based violence (GBV). It highlights how investing in gender equality doesn’t just make women safer—it helps them access food, helps their families eat more, and can even increase their food production.
The Poverty and Gender Assessment examines the structural challenges to securing a robust and inclusive recovery from the pandemic and sustained progress in poverty reduction and gender equality in The Gambia. It leverages a diverse set of data sources to understand the nature of poverty and household welfare, and highlights …
This report assesses recent progress in poverty reduction in Zanzibar. It is based on Zanzibar’s last three household budget surveys and considers the period between 2009 and 2019, with a focus on the last four years of this decade: 2015–2019. Poverty — based on household consumption — fell by 9 …
The off-grid solar (OGS) sector has the potential to increase universal access to energy, alleviate poverty, support economic development, and increase gender equality. Nevertheless, although considerable advances have been made in closing gaps in access to energy, women’s presence in the sector as consumers and active participants in OGS value …
India’s rural economy, largely dependent on rainfed agriculture, is increasingly vulnerable to climate change. More frequent, intense heatwaves and unpredictable rains undermine farmers’ efforts to protect crops and sustain their families. In 2021, to support communities to cope with crises, ‘CRISP-M’ was launched: an accessible online tool that helps communities …
This new UN report shows that women’s and children’s health has suffered globally, as the impacts of conflict, the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change converge with devastating effects on prospects for children, young people and women. Data presented in this report show a critical regression across virtually every major measure …
The second annual Global Food 50/50 Report, a joint initiative of Global Health 50/50, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and UN Women, reviews the gender- and equity-related policies and practices of 51 global food system organizations. The report highlights the progress, or lack thereof, made by food organizations …
This report contains a systematic analysis that sheds light on each component of digital finance and on how the components are linked with gender equality and women’s economic empowerment. It addresses five key challenges that limit the use of digital finance to promote women’s empowerment in Africa. The first challenge …
South Asia and the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) are among the regions that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Its adverse impacts are worsening and becoming more evident here. The impacts of climate change are leading to severe consequences such as increased food insecurity, poverty, and social …
This report, the third in IRENA’s gender perspective series, examines the participation of women in the solar PV sector. The analysis outlines the share of women in the solar PV workforce, examines the barriers that women face in the sector - including women living and working in the off-grid context …
India is among the countries in the world that are most vulnerable to the consequences of global warming. While there are notable efforts for both mitigation and adaptation, these have failed to consider issues of gender equity even as evidence shows that women and girls bear the disproportionate burden of …
The regional flagship report analyses the gendered impacts of climate change in Southeast Asia and suggests ways to enhance and mainstream gender equality into climate-relevant sectoral policies and actions. Prepared by SEI Asia, ASEAN Committee on Women, ASEAN Secretariat, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN Women, the report provides …
