SDSN Hosts Webinar on Transformative Solutions for Achieving Gender Equality

Since 2019, SDSN has been showcasing some of the most transformative and innovative solutions emerging from the network annually under the Global Solutions Forum (GSF) flagship initiative. This global initiative fostered in collaboration with GIZ (the German Agency of Cooperation), aimed to bring together experts from around the world to present how they were implementing local solutions that were advancing the SDGs in their context. The four editions of the GSF successfully elevated cutting-edge transformations for the SDGs in front of an international audience and strengthened the connection between local implementers from all around the world. All editions featured lightning talks packed with challenges and discoveries from within the global SDSN network and brought together high-level experts from science, academia, and policy spheres.

Following up on this precedent, GIZ and BMZ hosted a special session within the ICSD 2023 focused on solutions for achieving gender equality. The session included four implemented solutions from SDSN's networks in Sahel, South Africa, Mali and Bolivia, and a Ukraine member from SDSN Black Sea.

Watch the Session

Further details on each solution is provided below:

Ocean WOMXN

Despite South Africa being uniquely placed to access and produce cutting-edge oceanographic research, very few black women researchers contribute to this work. This is due to real barriers that prevent women from making science their future. From financial constraints to family responsibilities or lack of access to resources, Ocean WOMXN helps to overcome these barriers. Whether it’s research into climate change, pollution, weather patterns or coastal livelihood, the job market is calling for these womxn. We want Ocean Womxn to lead the way, to do outstanding research and stand as icons for future womxn in science.

Ocean Womxn is a prestigious research and leadership programme at the University of Cape Town (UCT) Department of Oceanography. It provides black womxn students with financial support, research opportunities and career development in the field of ocean sciences, contributing to the transformation of the department and leading the future of oceanography. Ocean Womxn is a five-year project with five cohorts, the final one of which is in 2023. The solution is scalable to other universities, as well as to other disciplines. The lessons learned and successes can be shared to motivate allocating funding towards similar projects. Learn more at https://oceanwomxn.co.za/.

ORBITA: Bolivian Observatory for the Sustainable Tourism Industry

Developed by SDSN Bolivia and the Innovation in Social Entrepreneurship Foundation (Bolivia) and International Development Research Centre (Canada), ORBITA seeks to generate information to influence the decision-making of public, private and community stakeholders, to build bridges between sectors and break Bolivia’s dependence on the primary export matrix. ORBITA works at the intersection of the private and public sector to gather data about tourism, promote research, generate evidence about its impact, and build academic-public-private alliances to strategically boost the transition to a more gender-inclusive and sustainable development model for the country. ORBITA developed an intervention model based on a dynamic helix that allows decision-making based on intelligence research and knowledge to promote tourism. The model also draws from the creative economy and digitalization across the country to attract high-value markets. Tourism growth and gender equality are critical goals for several countries in LAC and ORBITA can be a model to be replicated elsewhere, perhaps initially throughout the Andean region due to similar social and environmental histories, but overlapping themes and commonalities with other LAC countries can also allow the project to be scaled and adapted.

The research will explore the potential of the tourism sector for a low-carbon and more inclusive development model for Bolivia. It will dig deeper into how this alternative economic activity may become viable and scalable; identify the main private and public actors; and explore what specific actions should be taken to promote this transition. It will test and explore the impacts of various interventions on women-led businesses in the sector, on the surrounding communities, and on the environment. It will support training for women-led small- and medium-sized businesses and build the capacity for the Observatory to become self-supporting.

With respect to gender equality, the tourism sector shows great progress. For the first time between 2010-2020, more women than men registered tourism businesses with Fundación para el Desarrollo Empresarial (FUNDEMPRESA) – a non-profit organization with the objective of incentivizing business development in Bolivia. To date, approximately 72% of all labor income in the sector is earned by women. Learn more at https://sdsnbolivia.org/en/projects/orbita.

Creating Sustainable Sources of Income for Women Facing the effects of Climate Change in Mali

Developed by ENERGIA Mali (ONG Réseau Energia-Mali) in partnership with SIEMENPUU Foundation (Finland), Rural Commune Council of Minidian ,and Kéla Communityhis, this project aids in the development of income-generating activities by women for the improvement of the community living environment by using solar equipment for conservation of vegetable production intended for marketing. The project provides practical training for women in market gardening resilient to climate change, in the technique of solar drying and packaging of agricultural products, training of women's group in associative life, in marketing and management of a community fund, purchase of adequate bags and materials intended for the packaging of agricultural products, and development of a business plan for the women's group of Kél.

The project has seen the following results:

1: Agricultural products, in particular shallots, mangoes and hibiscus, are dried and packaged and then marketed by women based on the connection made by AMASSA Afrique Verte between the Kéla women's group and potential buyers.

2: The women's group manages itself and serves its members.

3: The Kéla women's group has a development plan for sustainable income-generating activities over 5 years.

The project management will be ensured by the municipal authority, thus for the scaling up will also be ensured by it by integrating the actions / activities of the project in its municipal development plan (PDSEC), which will make that other villages in the commune will be affected.

All these activities carried out by women with the support of ENERGIA Mali will make it possible to achieve, on the one hand, the obtaining of sustainable income for the women's group, the reduction of pressure on natural resources (wood) and on the other hand an improvement in the living conditions of the population. Learn more at http://news.abamako.com/h/274352.html.

Women Mentoring and Employment Network in Africa (WoMENA)

In Africa, young women are confronted with many challenges whether it is in the area of education, formal or informal, mental health, sexual or reproductive health, access to technical or financial resources, lack of access to professional opportunities; or even constraints related to cultures, traditions and limiting beliefs in Africa.

The solution proposed by WoMENA, developed by AFLED (Association of Women Leadership and Development in Africa), covering the Sahel Region is to empower and mentor young African women, connecting them to socio-economic opportunities through leadership, empowerment, and mentoring. WoMENA matches young women with qualified mentors who provide skills, advice, emotional and practical support, and technical and financial assistance. The Mentoring Program involves a rigorous selection and matching process, where mentees are matched with mentors based on their specific needs and interests. The mentors commit to mentoring the mentees for a period of 6-12 months.

So far, 25 young women from 3 countries have been empowered and mentored to have the skills needed to be young women leaders in their communities through mentoring and coaching, leading to improved career opportunities and economic empowerment. 150 young women were empowered to make informed decision on the reduction in child marriages and early pregnancies due to increased awareness and empowerment activities in countries. 150 strengthened leadership and active participation of mentees in their communities, leading to positive social change in 3 countries, and there is improved gender equality and women's rights in the regions where the program operates.

Young women in the programme have Increased their self-confidence and self-esteem and have acquired new skills and knowledge through the group and individual trainings and mentoring. Some young women in the programme have improved their networking skills and now have access to opportunities for mentees, such as internships or employment. The majority of the mentees have increased their leadership skills at different levels in their communities.

The innovative aspects of the solution lies in its integration of mentoring and empowerment, the cascade mentoring model in communities giving young women the opportunity to utilize the acquired skills by proving support to other young women in their communities. This ensures the transfer of skills in a cascade manner and sustainability. The long-term commitment to empowerment focusing on socio-economic transformation of young women in Africa. These elements contribute to a comprehensive and forward-thinking approach to empowering young African women and fostering sustainable change in their lives and communities. Learn more at http://www.womena.org/.

Women Empowerment in Science

Developed by State Organization "Institute of market and economic & ecological research of the National academy of sciences of Ukraine," Ukraine, Odessa in partnership with the Council of Young Scientists, women empowerment in science seeks to popularize women's scientific work by personal examples, for example, providing meetings with school children, publications that popularize achievements of women-scientists The solution encourages career development for women in science, attraction of young women into science, and women-scientists community development, and will host networking events with women-scientists for local communities Events can be scaled at the national and international level. They could be thematical (economics, STEM, social sciences etc.).