The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women has released the report of its Asia-Pacific Regional Consultation on the theme of gender equality in the digital age. The consultation was convened by the UN’s Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and UN Women’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, in…(Read more)
Category: News
Scaling Gender Change in Canadian Climate Finance in Developing Economies
Global Affairs Canada has released a new report entitled A Journey of Purpose: Learning to Scale Gender Change in Canadian Climate Finance in Developing Economies. Authored by Dr. Edward Jackson for the Department’s Climate Finance Division, the discussion paper examines Canada’s USD 3B long-term debt portfolio with multilateral banks and funds aimed at financing major…(Read more)
Using AI in Evaluation
At the blog of the American Evaluation Association, AEA 365, evaluation consultant Sylva Ferretti has contributed a two-part reflection on working with AI in evaluation, particularly ChatGPT. Overall, she finds this AI tool to be useful, additive, and even progressive in her practice in the field of international development and humanitarian assistance. ChatGPT is, especially, able…(Read more)
Talks toward a global plastics pollution agreement held in Uruguay
In late 2022, the first session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including marine litter, was held in Punta del Este, Uruguay. At the conference, UNEP’s Executive Director, Inger Andersen, called for a broad, inclusive and science-driven agreement that provides adequate resources for developing countries. “We…(Read more)
High Ambition Coalition ready to deliver on 30X30 biodiversity commitment
On December 19, 2022, following 116-country member High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, co-chaired by Costa Rica and France, “celebrated the inclusion of a historic target to protect or conserve at least 30% of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030 (30×30) in the United Nations Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework approved today at the…(Read more)
Opportunities and threats for US clean energy in 2023
Writing for Canary Media on January 2, 2023, Jeff St. John surveys the potential for and barriers to renewable energy growth in the United States, asking whether the Inflation Reduction Act can power the sector to overcome significant obstacles and achieve new levels of scale and capacity. Specifically, to what extent can the IRA reduce…(Read more)
Gender inclusion through investing: Exploring the possibilities in Bangladesh
On December 13, 2022, LightCastle Partners, a Dhaka-based management consulting firm, hosted an expert panel entitled “Gender Inclusion through Investing: How can we do that?” The event was co-sponsored by the Biniyog Briddhi Programme, a Swiss-funded initiative that provides impact-linked financing to social tech enterprises in Bangladesh (see https://www.sie-b.org/) and which had organized a previous…(Read more)
Worker-Driven Social Responsibility Highlighted at UN Forum
Late last year, representatives of the US-based Coalition of Immokalee Workers and its award-winning Fair Food Program presented their model of worker-driven social responsibility to the United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights. As Greg Asbed, a CIW co-founder said, at the core of the model are three elements: “wall to wall worker education”…(Read more)
Applying and Refining SWEEF’s Gender ROI Assessment Tool
Equilo, a data analytics platform and social enterprise, is working with women-led and -focused SWEEF Capital, a Singapore-based private equity fund, to test, refine and scale the application of SWEEF’s Gender ROI™ Assessment Tool. This tool, Equilo writes, “supports organizations to conduct a gender analysis of their organization’s leadership, workforce, value chain, and society where…(Read more)
In 2022, green lending exceeded debt financing for the fossil fuel industry
“For the first time, more money was raised in the debt markets for climate-friendly projects than for fossil-fuel companies,” writes Bloomberg’s Tim Quinson. Data compiled by Bloomberg show that, in 2022, “roughly $580 billion was arranged in 2022 for renewable energy and other environmentally responsible ventures, while the oil, gas and coal industries turned to…(Read more)