Articles

The Investing in Women (IW) is an initiative of the Australian Government through its Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that catalyses inclusive economic growth through women’s economic empowerment in South East Asia. The IW has an office in the Philippines. It released in May 2020 two reports, as described below:

"Report: COVID-19 and Women’s Economic Participation"

This research report (published May 2020) was completed for IW by Marian Baird and Elizabeth Hill from the University of Sydney. This provides analysis from a rapid but extensive literature review around the impacts of COVID-19 and previous pandemics and recessions on women’s economic position. This includes analysis on actual and potential impacts in Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines and Vietnam, and risks and opportunities looking ahead. The IW is an initiative of the Australian Government through its Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that catalyses inclusive economic growth through women’s economic empowerment in South East Asia. The IW has an office in the Philippines.

See the report: https://investinginwomen.asia/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Report-COVID-19-and-Women%E2%80%99s-Economic-Participation.pdf

"Gender norms and change: Resources to support campaign interventions to shift gender norms"

This research report provides an overview of evidence on recent program interventions that address gender norms; and a summary of how these interventions have sought to influence gender norms, and the lessons learned from these efforts. With annexes on Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Southeast Asia. Prepared by My Linh Nguyen and Shane Harrison for IW.

See the report: https://investinginwomen.asia/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/LR_Gender-norms-and-change_Final.pdf

Dr. Jane Goodall gave her online commencement message to the graduates of 2020 who, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, are conducting their ceremonies in various non-face-to-face ways. In her message, Goodall delved on the environmental and social concerns facing the youth amid the perilous times. Goodall is an eminent environmentalist, a United Nations Messenger for Peace, and founder of the Jane Goodall Institute that works on urgent and important issues facing the world.

Dr. Goodall delivering her message to the 2020 graduates

Source: unwomen.org

The year 2020, marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA), was intended to be ground-breaking for gender equality. Instead, with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, even the limited gains made in the past decades are at risk of being rolled back. The pandemic is deepening pre-existing inequalities, exposing vulnerabilities in social, political and economic systems which are, in turn, amplifying the impacts of the pandemic.

Across every sphere, from health to the economy, security to social protection, the impacts of COVID-19 are exacerbated for women and girls simply by virtue of their sex.

The policy brief by the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General (“The impact of COVID-19 on women”—issued April 9, 2020) explores how women and girls’ lives are changing in the face of COVID-19, and outlines suggested priority measures to accompany both the immediate response and longer-term recovery efforts.

The full policy brief (PDF, 21 pages) is downloadable here.

Message of United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to introduce the UN policy brief “The impact of COVID-19 on women.”

Put women and girls at the centre of efforts to recover from COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic affects everyone, everywhere.

But it affects different groups of people differently, deepening existing inequalities.

Early data indicates that the mortality rates from COVID-19 may be higher for men. But the pandemic is having devastating social and economic consequences for women and girls.

Today we are launching a report that shows how COVID-19 could reverse the limited progress that has been made on gender equality and women’s rights – and recommends ways to put women’s leadership and contributions at the heart of resilience and recovery.  

Nearly 60 per cent of women around the world work in the informal economy, earning less, saving less, and at greater risk of falling into poverty.

As markets fall and businesses close, millions of women’s jobs have disappeared.

At the same time as they are losing paid employment, women’s unpaid care work has increased exponentially as a result of school closures and the increased needs of older people.

These currents are combining as never before to defeat women’s rights and deny women’s opportunities.
Progress lost takes years to regain. Teenage girls out of school may never return.

I urge governments to put women and girls at the centre of their efforts to recover from COVID-19.

That starts with women as leaders, with equal representation and decision-making power.

Measures to protect and stimulate the economy, from cash transfers to credits and loans, must be targeted at women.

Social safety nets must be expanded.

Unpaid care work must be recognized and valued as a vital contribution to the economy.

The pandemic has also led to a horrifying increase in violence against women.

Nearly one in five women worldwide has experienced violence in the past year.  Many of these women are now trapped at home with their abusers, struggling to access services that are suffering from cuts and restrictions.

This was the basis for my appeal to governments earlier this week to take urgent steps to protect women and expand support services.  

COVID-19 is not only challenging global health systems, but testing our common humanity.

Gender equality and women’s rights are essential to getting through this pandemic together, to recovering faster, and to building a better future for everyone.

Message dated March 24, 2020 from the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) Global Office on COVID-19 Pandemic

Dear Members,

Over the past few weeks, we have all closely followed the spread of COVID-19 and its evolving impact. On behalf of the ICA Global Office, I wish to convey that we are with you all and your communities in these unprecedented times of uncertainty. We are also with you in upholding together our cooperative values of solidarity, social responsibility and caring for others. Let me share with you what we are doing regarding the issue of the pandemic.

Prioritizing health and safety above anything else
We have been taking every possible step to prioritize the health and safety of our staff, complying with the measures enacted by the government, and we now work from home. We have of course complied with the World Health Organization guidelines, and kept abreast of information concerning changes affecting our daily life.

In this regard, we highly recommend you to consult the website of the World Health Organization to obtain the most reliable and recent information on the COVID-19 pandemic, and to visit the visual mapping elaborated by Johns Hopkins University and the medical journal The Lancet.

These links will help you further in taking appropriate action to safeguard the health of your staff and members.
 
Communicating the contribution of cooperatives
Representing around 12 percent of humankind, the cooperative movement is making a vital contribution to help cooperative members, families and communities, get through this crisis. A key example of such a contribution is made by health cooperatives that are represented by International Cooperative Health Organization (IHCO), one of ICA’s Sectoral Organizations, whose President Carlos Zarco and Director José Perez have sent us the following message:

“In the face of the health emergency caused by the spread in many countries of the COVID-19 disease, the priority of health cooperatives is to collaborate with all their resources in the containment of the pandemic, aligning themselves at all times with the action measures recommended by the World Health Organization and by the competent health authorities. We also want to express that the professionals of the health cooperatives are making an enormous effort, like the entire health profession, to face the situation and try to guarantee the safety and well-being of both their patients and the rest of the population in the territory in which they carry out their activity” 
 
The ICA Global Office is in continuous consultation with the IHCO on the ongoing crisis.
 
Our thoughts and deepest thanks go to all doctors, nurses, medical staff and all workers in health cooperatives, for their devotion to duty, greatest professionalism and utmost selflessness.

Members can now share experiences and needs on our Loomio Platform
As a practical way for sharing and showcasing the hope and response that the cooperative movement has to offer during these uncertain times, we have opened a discussion platform for members. Members have been invited to share their ongoing experience, needs, including short term and urgent ones such as medical supplies, and more long-term ones. If you are a member and would like to join the discussion send Santosh Kumar an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please allow up to 24 hours for a response and approval to join the discussion.

Establishing a Cooperative Solidarity Fund to better tackle COVID-19 and its impact
We are also calling for solidarity with those in need by asking members to make financial pledges to a Cooperative Solidarity Fund to tackle COVID-19, that we will launch shortly. This call is based on our previous experience with funds raised and coordinated by the ICA to help cooperatives and their communities affected by extraordinary challenges following natural disasters like the 2011 tsunami and the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, among others.

The Loomio platform mentioned above has a conversation thread on the new solidarity fund. Further information on this fund will be sent shortly to all of you.

Many of us are confined and facing difficulties of various sorts. We understand that this crisis has impacted many of you and this may continue for a few more months.  As a global community, we will get through this critical time together.
 
Take care and be in good health! 
 
Cooperatively,
Bruno Roelants
ICA Director General