Inter Press Service | News and Views from the Global South

Inter Press Service | News and Views from the Global South

For International Women’s Day 2020 IPS presents a special report - a series of features, opinion and editorials from experts and affiliated journalists around the world on women.

VIDEO: I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights The narrative surrounding women’s rights in 2020 carries much hope and possibility. This year’s International Women’s Day, bearing the theme “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights,” falls on the celebration’s 110th anniversary. The occasion is monumental, and with 10 years remaining ... MORE > >

Sticky Floors, Glass Ceilings & Biased Barriers: the Architecture of Gender Inequality Pedro Conceição Architectural metaphors are a popular way to think about inequality between men and women. When it comes to the fundamentals, we often talk about whether there is a “sticky floor” that is holding women and girls back. And the good news is that, for billions around the world, the floor is a ... MORE > >

On 8th March – and All the Other Days: Each for Equal Prof. Margaret Kobia, Amb. Aline Kuster-Ménager, Amb. Erasmo Martinez Martine and Siddharth Chatterjee Development efforts over the past two decades have seen millions of people freed from poverty and hunger, and inequalities reduced worldwide. This is an undoubted achievement, but is no reason for complacency. The fact is that inequality between men and women, between boys and girls, remains not ... MORE > >

Want to Go for Inclusive Climate Action? Then Start with Integrating Gender Equality into Climate Finance Verania Chao and Koh Miyaoi Gender equality and women’s rights have progressed immensely since the adoption of the most visionary agenda on women’s empowerment, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 25 years ago. However, gender equality experts across the world are signaling that we need to identify ... MORE > >

Realising Women’s Rights Difficult for Africa’s Fragile States Miriam Gathigah Pokot girls are expected to face the knife stark naked and with courage. To inspire confidence, their fathers sit a few metres away from them with a spear in hand. “If a girl screams or shows even the slightest resistance, the father is allowed to throw the spear at her for bringing shame to the ... MORE > >

Q&A: Learning Diplomacy From Flipping Burgers at McDonald’s Samira Sadeque It’s a rainy February morning in New York, but inside the walls of her room, it might as well be summer -- bright and warm, much in contrast to the drizzles reluctantly crawling on the window panes of Ambassador Kshenuka Senewiratne's office overlooking Manhattan. Senewiratne, Permanent ... MORE > >

Many Milestones but Painfully Slow Progress Towards Gender Equality Farhana Haque Rahman The narrative surrounding women’s rights in 2020 carries much hope and possibility. A new decade is ushering in important anniversaries and milestones: 25 years since the Beijing Platform for Action, 110 years since the birth of International Women's Day and the 10-year countdown to achieve the UN ... MORE > >

There Can Be No Green Peace Without Gender Equality Jennifer Morgan Gender inequality - like the climate emergency - is not inevitable, but is kept in place by the poor choices too many cis men make on a daily basis. And it is not just womxn who are hurt and trapped by this patriarchal problem, but girls and non-binary people too, as well as many boys and men. ... MORE > >

Q&A: ‘Place Gender Equality at the Heart of our Work’ Samira Sadeque Ambassador Mona Juul started her role as the Permanent Representative of Norway to the United Nations in January 2019, and is also the president of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Prior to joining as the Permanent Representative, Juul had an extensive career where she ... MORE > >

To Attack a Female Journalist’s Credibility, Go After Her Body Natalie Southwick and Renata Neder Brazilian journalist Patrícia Campos Mello made her career reporting from conflict zones around the world -- but lately, the greatest threats to her security are coming from closer to home. In recent weeks, Campos Mello has faced a violent onslaught of crude threats and personal attacks, ... MORE > >

UN Report: World remains a ‘violent, highly discriminatory place’ for girls Twenty-five years after the historic Beijing women’s conference in China – a milestone in advancing equal rights – violence against women and girls is not only common, but widely accepted, a new UN report revealed. While there have been remarkable gains for girls in education, little headway has ... MORE > >

Sexist Economies Where World’s 22 Richest Men Have More Wealth than All the Women in Africa Anna Tonelli This International Women’s Day, 25 years after we first heard it declared that “women’s rights are human rights” at the historic Beijing 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women, we need to take the space and time to reflect on just how far we’ve come – and just how much more work there is to do. ... MORE > >

It is Time for Action! Uniting for Africa’s Transformation Sahle-Work Zewde and Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka Twenty-five years ago, thousands of representatives adopted the Beijing Declaration, one of the most progressive universal agreement to advance women’s rights. The Beijing Declaration built on the human rights inscribed in the Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women ... MORE > >

What’s Needed for Real Changes for Women in Lebanese Politics? Eliane Eid Women were at the forefront of Lebanon’s 2019 ‘October Revolution’. Beyond the iconic images of their participation, it seems that by women linking equity in politics to the broader issues of mismanagement of corruption paid off - although activists say there is a long road ahead. In May ... MORE > >

Women Bear the Burden of India's Water Crisis Arpit Jain and Reshma Anand Across cities and villages in India, an impending water crisis is at our doorsteps. India will face a water shortfall of almost 50 percent by 2030, if our water use continues its current pattern. Last year, Chennai and Bangalore showed us what water scarcity looks like; the statistics are no longer ... MORE > >

Generation Equality: Four Ways to Accelerate Progress Jemimah Njuki The global gender community will meet in New York in March to review progress on gender equality and women’s empowerment in the 25 years since the Beijing declaration. The theme for this year’s Commission on the Status of Women gathering is Generation Equality, emphasizing how the current ... MORE > >