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Knowledge on gender equality for the UN Commission on the Status of Women

 
Crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change exacerbate gender inequalities, putting women and girls at disproportionate risk. They also highlight the need to put women at the centre of solutions to address global challenges.
A woman hands a leaflet to another woman in Cumilla, Bangladesh
UN Women Asia and the Pacific

Several IDRC-related online events will bring evidence to bear on issues at the forefront of the sixty-sixth session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW), from March 14 to 25, 2022. This year’s session focuses on climate change, environment and disaster risk reduction as well as women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work. 

Through official UNCSW side events and NGO CSW Forum panels, IDRC-supported researchers will share their findings and recommendations on  

  • COVID-19 impacts on women 

  • redressing gender inequalities in care work 

  • just and gender-equal transitions to low-carbon economies 

  • women’s economic empowerment through reform in public procurement, cross-border trade and social policies responding to the changing nature of work. 

The UNCSW is the principal intergovernmental body dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. Its civil society side, the NGO CSW Forum, brings together feminist and women’s rights groups and civil society organizations to learn from each other’s efforts and engage with the UN sessions. 

Achieving gender equality is a long-standing core focus of IDRC. Our investments in high-quality research contribute evidence needed to achieve equality by breaking down the barriers to women’s empowerment and how they intersect with other dimensions of equality such as race, age, sexuality and socio-economic position. 

To join any of these panel discussions, register using the links below.
 

IDRC panels at the NGO CSW Forum

Empowering women in the green economic recovery from COVID-19  

March 21, 2022 | 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. EDT 

International financial institutions and governments are pledging a recovery that’s green and socially inclusive, but what measures will they promote to sustainably boost women’s economic empowerment? This panel features researchers supported by IDRC’s Gender Equality in a Low-Carbon World initiative. They will present promising women-led solutions for green economies and climate action, including innovations in aquaculture, agriculture, land restoration and tourism. 

Link to the event
 

There is no recovery without informal workers 

March 22, 2022 | 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. EDT  

Evidence from 11 cities documents the impacts of COVID-19 on women informal workers. Experts, including the leaders of street-vendor organizations in India and home-based workers in Thailand, will discuss pathways toward a gender-inclusive recovery. The research, led by Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing, has resulted in promising organizational and government responses to build resilience for women informal workers in the changing world of work. 

Register here
 

Why COVID-19 recovery must be gender-responsive 

March 24, 2022 | 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. EDT 

A clear body of evidence is emerging from the IDRC-supported COVID-19 Response for Equity initiative to demonstrate the differing impacts of the pandemic on women, girls, boys, men and non-binary genders. This panel discussion will delve into this evidence and provide some recommendations for future policy responses to protect women’s livelihoods, food security, access to social protection and freedom from violence. 

Register here
 

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IDRC partner events at the NGO CSW Forum

Tackling foundations of inequality: Understanding barriers to women’s participation in public procurement in Eastern Africa 

March 23, 2022 | 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. EDT  

This session will discuss emerging findings and policy recommendations on using public contracting to lift people out of poverty and foster gender equality.  

The session is organized by Africa Freedom of Information Centre, which is leading research supported by the Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women – East Africa initiative.  

Register here
 

The gendered transformation of work and implications for women’s economic empowerment in Mozambique 

March 23, 2022 | 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. EDT  

This session explores Mozambique’s care economy crisis, the role of the state in responding to this crisis of reproduction, and the key lines of struggle for feminist organizations. 

The session is organized by the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, which is leading IDRC-supported research on technology and the future of work.  

Register here
 

Making the African Continental Free Trade Agreement work for women's economic empowerment 

March 25, 2022 | 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. EDT  

Women represent most of the continent’s cross-border traders. This session will review the trading reality for African women informal workers and opportunities in the Protocol on Women of the African Continental Free Trade Area.  

The session is organized by the Trade Law Centre, which is leading IDRC-supported research on gender-inclusive trade

Register here
 

Official UNCSW side events with IDRC participation

Shifting narratives and practices to achieve gender-just climate transitions 

March 15, 2022 | 10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. EDT  

Ecofeminism offers powerful alternative narratives that value care for people and planet, in contrast to mainstream development. This side event brings together insights from ecofeminist research in the Global North and South to secure gender-just transitions to a low-carbon world. 

Register here
 

Promoting evidence-based policies in the Global Alliance of Care 

March 17, 2022 | 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. EDT 

This side event contributes to the Global Alliance of Care by highlighting the need for research and evidence to make more effective care policies. Speakers will share the most recent research findings from Latin America that are informing policy responses aiming to recognise, reduce and redistribute unpaid care work. 

Register here