Five mantras for effective COVID-19 vaccine communication
As scientists move closer to an effective COVID-19 vaccine, the global health community is preparing for how it will build trust in its safety and efficacy. GAVI (The Vaccine Alliance) Civil Society Constituency recently convened a webinar on Keeping Trust in Immunisation: Community Perceptions of Vaccination in the time of COVID-19 to explore the communication groundwork required to ensure […]
Fast + Fair: Vaccine plans must be inclusive and leave no one behind
The comprehensive vaccine program, at a cost of $2 per person, will help ensure that frontline health workers have appropriate training and equipment, vulnerable populations such as women, girls, and refugees have safe access to medical services as well as the vaccine, and that communities receive critical information and advocacy to promote uptake. CARE’s approach draws from 75 years of experience in emergency […]
Women in industry – why we need more gender-sensitive statistics
Since COVID-19 emerged in late 2019, scientists have been poring over the data to understand better how the virus behaves and how to fight it. After multiple clinical trials conducted around the world at record speed, there is now encouraging news on potential vaccines. But scientific studies show that many trials fail to take the sex […]
Enabling greater inclusion of PWD’s amid the pandemic
The World Health Organization offers a definition of disability that encompasses three dimensions: 1) Impairment in a person’s body structure or function, or mental functioning 2) Activity limitation such as difficulty seeing, hearing, walking or problem-solving 3) Restricted participation in normal daily activities such as work, social interaction and recreational activities. Over 800 million people […]
Primary health workforce learning in an era of COVID-19: is digital delivery here to stay?
Continuous professional development (CPD) is essential for clinicians and health managers responding to rapidly changing epidemiology: from the rise of NCDs to the onset of new diseases like COVID-19. The strengthening of primary health workforce capacity is a key pillar of health systems strengthening and Universal Health Coverage, and is particularly needed in resource-poor and […]
We can’t ignore mindsets if we want to reset capitalism
Does the disruption created by Covid-19 create opportunities to reset capitalism in the long term, or will inertia prevail? That is the key New Year question as we look beyond the Covid crisis to possible future pathways. Our contention is that mindsets will determine whether this disruption catalyses deeper change, or is just a swing […]
The shifting expectations of business: aligning strategy, business model and culture with a sustainable purpose.
These vulnerabilities are likely to be exposed further by global trends that, on our current trajectory, look set to get worse. As Unilever’s CEO Alan Jope put it “the other big problems in the world, things like climate change and inequality, are not going away”. This year UN conferences in Glasgow and Kunming will seek to further the intergovernmental ambitions and […]
Business Mentorship for LGBTQ Refugees
LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers around the world are fleeing their home countries due to life-threatening persecution and violence. Even when this vulnerable population arrives in a host country where same-sex relations are not criminalized, they can still face discrimination, isolation and fear of rejection. To help LGBTQ refugees integrate into their new communities and […]
Corruption, Covid-19 and Inequality: the vital role of companies in preventing this deadly mixture
So far, there are almost 40 million cases of COVID-19 globally and more than one million deaths. Despite these staggering numbers, we now know the virus does not affect us all equally. Failing to address corruption risks in this environment can make that inequality so much worse. And alongside policymakers, businesses arguably have the biggest […]
A sustainable equitable food system needs to be nourished at the source
COVID-19 has exposed many of the vulnerabilities in our food system, one of which is just how reliant global supply chains are on people’s well-being at every step of the journey. The small-scale farmers in emerging markets who produce much of the world’s food ingredients, live in countries that face high rates of malnutrition, with […]
SEMINAR VIDEO: WHY IS THE PANDEMIC DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTING WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS?
PROFILE Ute Stephan is Professor of Entrepreneurship at King’s College London, Visiting Professor (Organizational Psychology) at TU Dresden, Germany, Honorary Professor at Aston Business School and at UCL, and a Fellow of the International Association of Applied Psychology. WHAT THIS SESSION COVERS In this session Professor Ute Stephan talks about her research project on Entrepreneurship […]
How Women Farmers and Entrepreneurs Can Build Resilience during COVID-19
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Virginie Adounon faced significant challenges with her business. In 2017, the 30-year-old mother of five decided to open a beauty salon in Bohicon, a city in southern Benin. Her shop was constructed out of bamboo, and during the rainy season, water would pour in from the ceiling. “I had no […]
Covid: no ‘great leveller’ when it comes to women workers’ rights
Measures to tackle COVID-19 have exacerbated gender inequality across the globe. That’s the damning verdict of a recent report from the UN Foundation, which highlights the pandemic’s impact on women and girls everywhere. As we mark the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, it is an opportune time to remember that while we have […]
The COVID-19 Pandemic is Jeopardizing Women’s Ability to Earn a Living. Here’s How We Can Respond.
Elisabeth Atchade’s cashew orchard in central Benin feels like a world away from the epicenters of the COVID-19 pandemic. But when the government instituted lockdowns and travel restrictions in an effort to stop the spread of the disease, the impact on the mother of four was very real. “The start of the COVID-19 pandemic coincided […]
The Business Fights Poverty Fortnightly Round-Up
Over the last fortnight, Business Fights Poverty has been alarmed by reports that the Treasury is due to cut foreign aid spending from 0.7% of GDP to 0.5% in 2021. The cut, due to be announced on Wednesday, comes on top of a £2.9 billion reduction in foreign aid spending over the course of this […]
Addressing gendered and other inequalities will be central to COVID-19 recovery
Beyond COVID-19: grassroots visions of change This article is part of an IIED series that brings together forward-looking responses on specific themes in reaction to the coronavirus pandemic, drawing on our partners’ insights and providing a platform for voices from the global South. Here, IIED researcher Alice Sverdlik looks at the impacts of the virus on women and girls. Lamented as a […]
Let’s open a conversation on research into modern slavery in business supply chains
We all want business supply chains to be free from exploitation and modern slavery. Businesses are no different. From executives, who want their businesses to be free from risks of such egregious practices tainting its operations, to workers across all tiers who are the ones affected by exploitation, preventing modern slavery is in everyone’s interest […]
Unlocking the potential of young entrepreneurs to navigate COVID-19
COVID-19 will disproportionately impact young people, women, and other underserved groups in the same way that the 2008 global financial crisis did. Two out of five under 30s have already reported a reduction in their income since the start of the pandemic and for many this will be the second global economic crisis that they […]
Renewable energy investments can boost the Caribbean’s sustainable recovery: Innovative financing approaches
Unlocking an economic boost by investing in renewable energy can be a pillar of the COVID-19 recovery, but will require significant work to align actors across the sector. From a technical point of view, financial mechanisms and instruments can be designed to de-risk projects and the region can expand its ability to attract investment dollars […]
The Business Fights Poverty Fortnightly Round-Up
Last week, as the US Presidential election played out, the Business Fights Poverty team spent some days reflecting on the events of the past six months and looking ahead to the future. We were all struck by the way that networks such as Business Fights Poverty can provide a source of insight and resilience, as […]