Podcasts about un population fund

Disney continues to stumble kids with their recent show, "Andor." Sin, and sexual sin in particular, is insidious, working its way into movies like Star Wars or Toy Story. Is it a good idea for parents to allow their children to watch Disney? In addition to this discussion, this program also covers Warren Buffet and his support for abortion. Warren Buffet is one of the biggest supporters of abortion. While Warren Buffet is extremely well-regarded in the finance world, God cares more about the slaughter of innocent babies in the womb. This program includes:1. The World View in 5 Minutes with Adam McManus (Biden denies cognitive decline & accuses Trump voters of sexism; Trump fully defunds pro-abortion UN Population Fund, Chinese Communists order Christian media to publish propaganda)2. Generations with Kevin Swanson

Send us a textOn Inside Geneva this week, aid agencies count the costs of funding cuts. “I am most sad for all the millions of people living with HIV and affected by HIV whose lives have been upended. They have lost access to life-saving medication. They have showed up at clinics for support, only to find no one there to help them,” says Angeli Achrekar, Deputy Executive Director for the Programme Branch at the Joint United Nations (UN) Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). The cuts are hitting women and girls especially hard.“Right now, a woman dies from a preventable form of maternal mortality every two minutes. That's unacceptable. One of the grants that the United States has just cut supports the training and salaries of midwives,” says Sarah Craven, Director of the Washington Office of UNFPA, the UN Population Fund. What will happen to local NGOs in crisis zones that relied on UN support?“I have to have hope. I am the leader of the Sudanese Red Crescent Society. I have staff and 12,000 volunteers behind me. So, I always have to be really strong and give hope to everyone to continue serving Sudan,” says Aida Al-Sayed Abdullah, Secretary General of the Sudanese Red Crescent Society.But could the cuts bring much-needed reform?“Sure, the humanitarian system isn't perfect. It can be inefficient and a little bit colonialistic at times. But it was delivering results. We were seeing actual progress. Now, in just a few months, decades of progress will be erased,” says Dorian Burkhalter, SWI swissinfo.ch journalist.Or will the cuts cost lives and cause more crisis?“We're so close to ending AIDS, full stop. Now, we could very well be turning back completely. All those years of work, dedication and progress,” says Achrekar.Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. For more stories on the international Geneva please visit www.swissinfo.ch/Host: Imogen FoulkesProduction assitant: Claire-Marie GermainDistribution: Sara PasinoMarketing: Xin Zhang

Occupied Palestinian Territory In Gaza city the UN along with our partners, are providing services to tens of thousands of people, including those displaced over the past four weeks from besieged North Gaza. Yesterday, one of the UN's local partners was able to collect solid waste that has piled up along Tareq Bin Zeyad street. In multiple locations, partners are providing mental health and psychosocial support sessions, including for people newly displaced from North Gaza Governorate. However, what the humanitarian community is able to deliver falls far short of the massive needs in Gaza. Once again, OCHA calls for rapid, unimpeded humanitarian relief into and across the Strip. International humanitarian law demands that civilians have access to the essentials they need to survive: food, shelter, medical care and other critical assistance. Humanitarian also stress that civilians in the north and across Gaza must be protected. And turning to the West Bank, OCHA reports that multiple operations by Israeli forces in the north this week included air strikes and other lethal war-like tactics, which appear to exceed law enforcement standards. According to initial information, eight Palestinians were killed and four others injured during Tuesday's operations in Jenin, Tubas and Tulkarm. Meanwhile, OCHA says that from 29 October to 4 November, Israeli settlers carried out 35 attacks against Palestinians that caused casualties or property damage, including to olive trees that were vandalized. Since 1 October, OCHA has documented 177 settler incidents directly related to the olive harvest in 73 communities across the West Bank, most of which caused casualties or property damage. Operations by Israeli forces and movement restrictions have made access to health care across the West Bank increasingly challenging since October of last year, particularly in refugee camps and Area C. The UN and its partners, are responding by scaling up support to communities, including by providing more than 36,000 primary health-care consultations across refugee camps and through mobile health clinics in Area C last month. The UN Population Fund is also supporting mobile health teams, but funding shortfalls are a growing problem. UNFPA warns that without renewed funding, 96 Palestinians communities could lose out on these important services next year. Gaza/IPC reportAccording to an alert issued by the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) Famine Review Committee, there is a strong likelihood that famine is imminent in areas within the northern Gaza Strip.The alert further underscored that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is extremely grave and rapidly deteriorating, as we have just detailed. Immediate action, within days not weeks, is required from all actors who are directly taking part in the conflict, or who have influence on its conduct, to avert and alleviate this catastrophic situation.So, this is what I have on this, the full report is now online and available and includes of course a lot more details.Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon...Chrystia Freeland, the deputy prime minister and minister of finance, speaks with reporters on Parliament Hill after chairing the first meeting of the revived Cabinet Committee on Canada-U.S. Relations. She is joined by Mélanie Joly, the minister of foreign affairs. The Prime Minister's Office announced it would re-establish the committee in the wake of Donald Trump securing a second term as president of the United States.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/policy-and-rights--3339563/support.

The government is planning to offer up incentives to investors looking to invest in tourism projects that will wrap up construction before June 2026.A source at the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones revealed that the Authority is in the process of establishing 4 environment-friendly investment zones by 2030, with investments of EGP5 billion.The House gave final approval to the Unified Insurance Law, which will draw up new and comprehensive rules for regulating the Insurance industry and widen compulsory insurance coverage. They also approved a new bill allowing private investors to manage and operate public hospital and healthcare facilities and a government-drafted bill that unlocks an additional EGP320 bn for this fiscal year's budget.The government has extended customs breaks for twelve key goods for a further three months as part of its ongoing battle to lower the price of goods and reel in inflation.A government official said that the Ministry of Petroleum has already started a plan to achieve self-sufficiency in fuel production, by increasing imports of crude oil from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq and refining it in local refineries. The government aims to reduce the fuel import bill by USD495 million during 2Q2024 compared to the first quarter of the same year, falling to USD2.8 billion.Inflation caused by global and regional crises is pushing up Egypt's import bill by an extra USD 4 bn every month, Finance Minister said.The government is considering the approval of the establishment of a new unit for clearing project and company dues to and from various government agencies. The House gave approval to an EGP1.2 mn grant from the UN Population Fund to help the National Council for Human Rights implement its health and reproductive rights strategy in Egypt. EFID reported solid 1Q24 financial results, showing: Net profit of EGP657 million (+24.6% YoY, +44.0% QoQ). The sequential margin improvement came backed by a decline in net interest expenses coupled with FX gains. EFID is currently trading at 2024f P/E of 8.7x.EXPA 1Q24 consolidated bottom line recorded EGP1,087 million, post minority interest (-1% q/q, +95% y/y). Sequential growth was capped by growing opex, other provisions, and higher effective tax rate despite healthy margins, FX gains, and lower credit provisions. BoD proposed distributing 1:3 bonus shares financed from 2023 net profit. EXPA is currently trading at 3.2x P/E 2024.Valu, HRHO's subsidiary has raised EGP616.8 mn in securitized bonds, part of a EGP 9 bn securitization program.Jordanian SME lender liwwa has secured USD5 mn loan from the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) which will be used for on-lending to SMEs in Jordan and supporting the company's plan to launch in Egypt.MASR launched Tajed, a commercial project spanning over 39k sqm in Taj City. On another note, MASR plans to invest EGP60.0-70.0 billion in its commercial portfolio over the next ten years and plans to acquire 400 feddans in the New Administrative Capital.eTax, a subsidiary of EFIH, has signed a contract with the Real Estate Tax Authority for the implementation of the authority's digitalization framework. ORAS general assembly approved an annual cash dividend of USD0.20/share, bringing total cash dividend for FY23 to USD0.39/share. This implies a dividend yield of 7% and payout ratio of 27% for the year. This dividend is to be paid in August 2024. Africa-focused renewables player Enara Group plans to dual list on the EGX and a Gulf exchange next year. Enara is building a 300k-ton green ammonia plant in Ain Sokhna with the French Total Energies. Drive Finance, a subsidiary of GB Capital, the financial arm of GBCO, has announced the closure of its fifth securitization bond issuance worth EGP1.4 billion. 

UN team in Armenia, led by the acting Resident Coordinator Nanna Skau, is working with the Government of Armenia to support the rapidly rising influx of refugees across the border. According to the latest official figures from the government there are about 93,000 men, women and children who have crossed into Armenia. The UN Refugee Agency noted that refugees are mainly arriving in the Syunik region of Southern Armenia. UNHCR pointed out that an inter-agency response plan is being finalized, to be followed by a joint financial appeal.UNHCR teams have been on the ground, at the border since day one when the first groups of refugees arrived exhausted, frightened and apprehensive about the future. UNHCR is working with the Government on technical equipment, including laptops, tablets and other items to facilitate the registration of people.WFP is also very much present on the ground with food and hot meals and the UN Children's Fund has established a safe space in the southeastern town of Goris, serving nearly 300 children every day along with their parents, backed by a humanitarian hub. UNICEF also provided health authorities with essential medicine and supplies for children.The UN Population Fund is supporting thousands of women in transit centres in the southeastern regions of Syunik and Vayots Dzor with 8,000 dignity kits, including drinking water, sanitary pads, soap, and more. Supporting health authorities, our UN team has now distributed 150,000 health kits to support the current number of refugees along with their host communities.Sorry, and I was mentioning the World Food Programme, they've placed two mobile warehouses in Goris for non-food items storage and a mobile kitchen serving up to 3,000 people every day. WFP has also delivered 4,000 food parcels to support 16,000 people in need in the Syunik area. Along with WHO, UNICEF and the UN Development Programme, they are preparing to launch a psychosocial support scheme to cover the needs of over 12,000 refugees. And of course, we are on standby and in constant contact with the Government to see how we can increase and scale up what we are already doing on the ground.#inspiringstories #inspirationalstory #faith #loveandtrust #podcast #newmedia #audiobookshttps://depictions.media/

In this episode, we explore ONS's work with other countries to raise the world's statistical capabilities.    Transcript  MILES FLETCHER  Hello and welcome again to ‘Statistically Speaking', the Office for National Statistics' Podcast. I'm Miles Fletcher, and in this episode we're going international.   Now it hardly needs saying that global issues, climate change, population growth, inflation, to name a few are best understood and addressed with the benefit of good global statistics. So, to that end, the ONS works in partnership with a number of countries worldwide with the ultimate aim of raising the world's statistical capabilities. At the one end of Africa, for example, a continent where it's deeply involved, that includes embedding state of the art inflation indices and other economic data in Ghana. On the other side of the continent, it's meant using AI and machine learning to track the movement of displaced populations in Somalia. How do you run a census in places where nobody has a permanent address?   It's all fascinating work and here to tell us about it, Emily Poskett, Head of International Development at the ONS; Tim Harris of the ONS Data Science Campus's international development team; and joining us from Accra, our special guest, Government Statistician of the Republic of Ghana and head of the Ghanaian Statistical Service Professor Samuel Annim.  Emily then, to start give us the big overview if you would, set out for us the scale and the purpose of this international development work that the ONS is doing.    EMILY POSKETT  We work with countries around the developing world to support strong modern statistical systems wherever we see a suitable opportunity to do so.     MF  What form does that work take? Does it mean statisticians going out to these countries?     EP  Yes, it does, when that's the right way to go about things. So our work is usually through the form of medium-term partnerships with a small group of national statistical offices, or NSOs, from the developing world, and those partnerships are medium term over a number of years in order to build up a real understanding of the context in that country, that national statistical office's vision for modernization and how the ONS can be of most help to achieve their own goals under their own strategy.   That relationship will normally be led by a particular individual who spends time getting to know the context and getting to know the people, getting to know what ONS can do to help. A partnership might cover a range of topic areas from census to data science to leadership training to economic statistics, and the lead point of contact, the strategic advisor in many cases, will bring in the relevant experts from across ONS, and they'll work through virtual collaboration but also through on-site visits, and they will work out the best timing for those and the best delivery modality in order to ensure that the gains are sustained. Our primary focus really is to make sure that changes that we support in the partner organisation are sustainable, and the work that ONS does using the UK's aid budget is really impactful and leads to long term change.   We don't always work through direct partnerships, for example where we see opportunities to work alongside other organisations, so international institutions like the World Bank or other national statistics offices like Statistics Canada or Statistics Sweden, they might choose to bring us in to deliver small pieces of focussed technical assistance alongside their own programmes. One of our medium-term partnerships is with the United Nations Economic Commission For Africa (UNECA), and they work with all 54 countries of Africa, and they can choose to bring in our expertise alongside their own to target particular needs in particular countries. But I would say that 70% of our effort is through these medium-term partnerships.     MF  So the ONS is providing one part of a large patchwork of work, going on right across the developing world, but what is the ultimate purpose of that? What are all these countries trying to achieve together?     EP  Well, strong statistical systems are essential in all countries to aid effective planning and informed decision making. And this is even more important in developing countries where resources are often scarce and you're trying to use scarce resources to target a wide range of needs across the population. And that resource might include UK aid for example, and aid from other countries. The UK has been statistical capacity building for many, many years through different modalities, working with partners, and the ONS is just one implementing partner who can be called upon to provide that technical expertise. We're really proud to be a partner of choice for a number of developing countries and the ONS is seen worldwide as being a leader. We're really proud that countries like Ghana would choose to work with us, and that we want to do our bit to help them to achieve their own strategy and their own goals.     MF  Well, this seems like an excellent moment to bring in Professor Samuel Annim. Our great pleasure, great honour, to have you with us professor. From your perspective, and what you're looking to achieve in the Ghana Statistical Service, how important how useful is the work with ONS been for you?     PROFESSOR SAMUEL ANNIM  From the perspective of how it has been important for us, I mean, I look at it from several aspects. I got into office in 2019,  a year after the ONS and GSS collaboration had been established. And when I joined obviously, I had a sense of what I wanted to contribute to the office. Partnership that we've seen between National Statistical Offices over the years have always taken the dimension of statistical production partnerships, and what I simply mean by that is that they're going in to help the service deliver on its core mandate. So for example, if price statistics are the priority, then that is the area you want to focus on, but our partnership with ONS took a different dimension. In addition to focusing on the traditional mandate of the Institute, which is the production of statistics, we really have over the period achieved some milestones from the perspective of transformation, which is of high priority to me, and secondly, from the perspective of injecting technology or contemporary ways of dispensing our duty as a National Statistical Office. So from an individual point of view, it has it has been beneficial to the mission that I have, and since then we have kept on working in the area of transformation.     MF  Listening to what you have to say there, it does sound as though some of the big challenges you face at the moment are not too dissimilar from the ones faced by ONS, all about modernising statistics, particularly using big data and new technology.     SA  Indeed, and I must say that it is a wave across all national statistical offices, because we are now trying to complement traditional surveys and censuses with non-traditional data sources i.e. Big Data, administrative data, citizens generated data and other geospatial resources. So collaborating is the key thing here, because this is new to the statistical community. So it's important we collaborate to learn how you are dealing with issues that are not consistent with the production of official statistics. Now as a global community, we are all thinking about how to use citizens generated science, I mean, getting citizens to provide us with data. And this is an area in which there isn't any National Statistical Office that can claim authority, because the approach and the processes are pretty not consistent with the guidelines for production of official statistics. So it's important to learn how countries are doing it and see how we can collaborate to get this done.     MF  Yes, in the last episode of our podcast, interestingly, we talked about the challenges of getting our citizens here in the UK to take part in surveys. Are Ghanaians friendly to what you're trying to achieve? Or are they perhaps sceptical as well and difficult to engage?     SA  I wouldn't say they're sceptical, I think they really feel part of it. And that is one of the strengths of citizen generated data, because if you package it in a way that it is more demand driven, rather than supply, you don't just go and tell them ‘do this because I know how it's supposed to be done', but instead give them the platform to tell the National Statistical Office what their experiences are, provide them with platforms that they can easily engage so that they can feel part of the process and they really own the product. In our case, it is not a product that is owned by the statistical service but it is a product that is owned by the sub national agencies, and that is, as I said earlier, the beauty of citizen generated data. It is co-creation and co-ownership of the statistical product. So they are not sceptical, they are very receptive to it, and they are getting a better understanding of what we do as a National Statistical Office.     MF  Thinking internationally, thinking globally, what sort of shape do you think the world's statistical system is in now, as a result of partnerships like this or other developments, generally looking across Africa and looking beyond Africa, when we think about key issues, particularly climate change - how good is the statistical system now in tracking these very important changes, and the impacts they're having?     SA  We have as national statistical offices been very content with the traditional statistics - labour statistics, price statistics, GDP - and you do that either monthly, quarterly, or in some instances annually, and even the social indicators, I mean, it's only a few countries like the UK that has been able to do social indicators annually, for those of us in the Global South, a lot of the social indicators are being collected every five years, or every seven to eight years. So this was the way national statistical offices, up until about 2017 or 2018, were shaped. But with the data revolution that we saw around 2014, and since the World Development Report, the data for better lives document, that came out in 2021, clearly, we now have to approach statistics from a different point of view.   And this is simply asking the question, how do I contextualise the statistics beyond what international communities would be expecting national statistical offices to do? I mean, now we are doing everything possible to ensure that we have a monthly GDP, and this is something that we are also learning from the partnership with ONS, because we are aware that they are developing models to ensure that beyond GDP they have some indicators that would readily give us insight on economic performance.   And related to the issue of climate change that you are you talking about Miles, it's one of the areas that you cannot simply dispense your statistics in that one area as a standalone National Statistical Office, because this is something that has a continental dimension, something that has a global dimension. And at the moment we have data sitting in different silos, and the only thing that we can do is through partnership, see how we can bring these datasets together to help us get a better understanding of issues around climate change.   So going forward, in my point of view, if we really want to sustain the transformation that we are seeing as a global Statistical Office, the only way out is through partnership, is through collaboration. And one of the things that I'm putting on the table is that we better begin to measure partnerships. Because we've treated partnerships as a qualitative engagement. And really, nobody knows which partnerships are working and which are not working. So if we're able to measure it, we can more clearly see the benefits of partnerships, although we all hold the view that it is the way to go.     MF  Interesting what you said about how we've traditionally concentrated on those classical measures of economic progress, and notably GDP. You might be interested to hear that the charity Oxfam, the big NGO, was in the news here in the UK recently when they said that GDP was ‘colonialist', and it was ‘anti-feminist', because it ignored the huge economic value of unpaid work, which they said is largely undertaken by women.   Well, whether you agree with that or not, it does perhaps highlight the need for going beyond GDP and producing these alternative, and perhaps richer, wider measures of economic progress and economic value.     SA  I mean, I clearly associate with that submission, and we currently doing some work with the United Nations Development Programme on the National Human Development Report. And the focus of this report is exactly what you are talking about, Miles. We are looking at the current value of work, and we are looking at the future value of work. And we are going beyond the definition of who is employed, which strictly looks at whether the work that you are doing comes with remuneration or not, because once you broaden it and look at the value of work, you definitely have the opportunity to look at people who are doing unpaid work, and indeed their contribution to the progress that we are seeing as a human society, and the National Human Development Report has a sharp focus on this gender issue. They're going to look at that closely. And again, this is coming on the backdrop of an ongoing annual household income and expenditure survey that we are doing. So traditionally, government and international organisations would ask what is your employment and what is your unemployment rate? And then in this report, we tell them that we need to begin to look at those who are working, but we see they're not employed, simply because they are not working for pay or profit, and the proportion of people who are in there, and then once you disaggregate based on sex, age and geography, it's so revealing that we are losing a number of insights from the perspective of unpaid work. And so I fully subscribe to that view.     MF  That's interesting. Professor, for now thank you very much, and I hope you'll join the conversation again later, but we're going to broaden out to talk about, well, it's actually a related development, Emily, talking about women and unpaid work, that's been another theme of ONS's work with the UN Economic Commission for Africa.     EMILY POSKETT  There was a request put forward by national statistic offices around Africa to undertake leadership training, and this was part of the country's modernization vision. Countries recognise that in order to achieve modernisation, they need to have strong leadership. So they asked the UNECA to deliver leadership training and ONS partnered with UNECA to design and pilot this leadership training programme in a range of countries. As part of delivering that we noticed and recognised a lack of female leaders in a number of National Statistics Offices around the continent, and thought with partners about what we can do to help support that, so now as well as running a leadership training for the top tier of leadership in in each organisation, we also run a women into leadership training for potential future female leaders from within the staff. And it's been really, really successful. Some of the feedback that we've had from leaders in those organisations is that they've seen their female staff becoming more confident, more outspoken, more ambitious, putting themselves forward for positions, putting their ideas forwards as well, and generally feeling more confident to contribute in the workplace. We're really proud of that success and hope to roll it out in many more countries around the continent.     MF  A country that's the other side of Africa in a number of important senses, and that is Somalia, which of course if you've followed the news to any extent over the last few decades, you'll know the serious turmoil that's affected that part of Africa, Tim Harris, bringing you in, what's been going on in Somalia that the ONS has been involved in, particularly when it comes to measuring population and population movement. Tell us about that.     TIM HARRIS  Well, as you say, Somalia is a very fragile context. It's been affected by conflict and climate change and environmental issues for many years. And that's made it very challenging to collect information, statistical information, on a range of things. But particularly on population, which is a key underpinning piece of statistics which any country needs, and in fact, there hasn't been a census in Somalia since the 1970s, almost 50 years now, but there are plans to do a census next year, with support from the UN Population Fund, UNFPA, and other various institutions in Somalia and development partners, as well as the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office. And Emily's international development team are also trying to form a partnership, or are forming a new partnership, with the Somalia National Bureau of Statistics. So there are plans to do a census next year, and we're really in the preparatory phase for that at the moment. And we're looking to see in our team how we can use data science, new techniques, new data sources, to try and help prepare to run that census.   One of the particular issues in Somalia is that there are significant numbers of people who are displaced from where they usually live, by the conflict, by climate change. There's also been a drought for the last few years, and so there are hundreds of thousands, in fact millions, of people who are displaced from where they usually live. They tend to congregate in what we call Internally Displaced People Camps, or IDP camps. So they're not refugees, they haven't crossed an international boundary, but they are displaced from where they usually live. And these IDP camps tend to be quite fluid and dynamic. They're often in areas that are difficult to get to, so information on them is very difficult to obtain. They change very quickly, they grow, they contract, and a lot of them are on private land. So we're looking to see whether we can use new data techniques, and new data sources, to give us information about the broad scale of population in that area.     MF  And those new data sources are necessary presumably because it's very difficult to actually get out and physically see these people in those areas and count them physically.     TH  That's right, and they change very quickly. So if you're running a census, you want to know where your people are, so you can send the right number of enumerators to the right places, you can draw boundaries of enumeration areas and so on.     MF  You need an address register essentially, but these are people effectively without addresses.     TH  That's right. That's the way that you do it in the UK. It's not possible in many of these IDP camps in Somalia. So we're looking to see whether we can use high resolution satellite imagery, which we can task for a particular period of time, say in the next week or the next month. And we use that satellite imagery to see whether we can identify structures on the ground in these camps. And in fact, the UN Population Fund has been doing this in a very manual way for some time now. So someone looks at the satellite imagery, and they put a point on each tent, and they try and count the tents and the structures within these camps. That's obviously a very time-consuming way of doing it. So we're looking to see can we do it in a more automated way.  So we've procured some satellite data and we've developed what we call training data. So in certain parts of the camps, we manually draw around the outlines of the tents, and we use techniques called machine learning. We show computers what areas are tents and what areas are not tents. And we try and train them using these algorithms to be able to predict in areas they haven't seen which areas are tents and which areas are not tents. So we're trying to develop models where we can use high resolution satellite imagery to predict the areas where there are tents, to produce numbers of tents, and in this way, we can help to estimate the broad numbers of people in these areas, and that can feed into the preparations for the census to help it run more smoothly and more efficiently.     MF  And trying to count an ever-shifting population allowance, in that we've got seasonal variations going on, some people unfortunately being evicted, and then you've got a population that would be nomadic anyway.     TH  People in these camps, they're a whole mixture of people, some who've been forced to move because of drought, some have been forced to move because of conflict, and as you say, there are large numbers of nomadic people as well. And they have tended to also congregate in these IDP camps in recent times because of the drought and other climate conditions.     MF  And it's thought there could be up to 3 million people at the moment living under those conditions in Somalia.     TH  That's right. I mean, that I think highlights one of the particular issues, in that the numbers are very uncertain. So there is some information from camp management administrative data, there is some information from some limited surveys that the Somalia National Bureau of Statistics has undertaken, but the estimates from those two different sources produce very, very different results. And so this is what we're trying to do, to see whether objectively we can count the number of tents, and therefore have some objective measure of at least the number of tents and structures, obviously then we need to move to how many of those tents and structures might be occupied. How many people on average might be in each of those tents and structures. But can we add something to the information context that produces some more objective measures, at least of the number of tents and the number of structures in those areas.     MF  Well, that's the kind of cutting-edge stuff that the Data Science Campus is all about. But Emily, the ONS has been involved in other censuses in Africa over the longer term, hasn't it?     EMILY POSKETT  Yes, that's right, Miles. So we've been involved in a number of censuses around Africa, including Ghana, also Kenya, Rwanda and a number of other countries through our partnership with the UNECA. And we've been able to really support countries to move from using paper for data collection to using tablets for data collection, during what they call the 2020 census round. And between ONS and the UNECA, we've been able to support on a number of different aspects, including how to make the most of that tablet technology. So you don't just move from using paper to using tablets and do the same processes. There are a number of advantages to using tablets in terms of how you can monitor the quality of the data coming in in real time, and how you can speed up that data collection and that data processing, and we've been able to work with NSOs around the continent on that.   We've also been using modern data matching techniques to support countries with their post enumeration surveys, which is a way of testing and improving the quality of the census. We've also been working with partners on using data visualisation and new techniques for improving the dissemination and user engagement with the products coming out of the census and therefore increasing the value of the census data products.     MF  It's interesting what you say about introducing tablet technology for data gathering in the field, to be honest, it's not that long ago that the ONS actually moved to use that, rather than the traditional what was once described as ‘well-meaning people with clipboards' going around asking questions. And it strikes me that in developing and working with these partner countries, the sort of methods the sort of technology being introduced, is not far behind where we're at really is it?     EP  No, absolutely. The ONS experts that get involved in these projects really learn a huge amount from the partners that they're working with as well, because often the partners we're working with have far fewer resources to deliver on similar goals. So the staff have to be incredibly innovative and use all sorts of different techniques and resources in order to achieve those goals. And people coming from ONS will learn a huge amount by engaging with partners.     MF  Well, on the modernisation theme, the census is another area where we've been working with Ghana isn't it, Professor?      PROFESSOR SAMUEL ANNIM  That's correct. We had support in all three phases of the census engagement, that is before the data collection, during the data collection, and after the data collection. We were very clear in our minds that we were going to use tablets for the data collection. And one of the things that we didn't know, or struggled with, had to do with the loading of the materials onto the tablet for the data collection.   Our original plan would have taken us about six months or four months to do that. And it wasn't going to be new for Ghana. We had other countries that had taken that length of time just to load the materials onto the tablet to enable the data collection exercise. And through the ONS and UNECA collaboration, we got technical assistance to provision the tablets in a much shorter duration. If I recall correctly, it took about six weeks to get all the items on the tablet. And we had been using tablets for data collection, but we hadn't been able to do remote real-time data monitoring because we didn't have a dashboard. We didn't know how to develop it. And through the partnership we were able to get a dashboard. The benefit of that was that after 44 days of exiting the field, we were able to put out a preliminary report on the census because during every day of the census we had a good sense of what the numbers were, whatever corrections we had to make we were making them. So after 44 days of exiting the field, we were able to announce the preliminary result.     MF  Wow, you had a provisional population total after 40 days?    SA  44 days, yes.     MF  44 days! Well, that puts certain countries to shame, I think, but anyway, let's not dwell on that. That's very impressive, Professor. And there's another project you've been working on, which I suppose is close to your heart as an economist, and that's the production of CPI? Modernising that?     SA  Absolutely. Absolutely. One of the first things that happened when I took office in 2019 was as part of the partnership, I visit ONS to understand what they are doing and how the collaboration can be deepened. And one of the things that we explored, and that was the first time I had heard of it, was how to produce a reproducible analytical pipeline. And all that simply means is that if you keep on doing something over and over again, you should think about automating the process. And that is the relationship that we have when it comes to CPI now. We have completely moved away from Excel. When I got in I said in addition to excel, let's use data, because when the process is not automated, and you have heavy dependence on human beings doing it, the likelihood of error is high. So we really bought into this and now we do our traditional ways, Excel, data, and then we do the reproducible analytical pipeline to compare the results. And ultimately, we're going to move away from the traditional XLS database and rely on this automated process. And this again, would allow us to hopefully reduce the length of time that it takes. So that is the extent to which we are modernising our CPI based on our collaboration.     MF  That's very impressive. And so through the process of speeding up the lag time of those regular indicators, you get a much timelier picture of what's going on in the economy.     EMILY POSKETT  This is one of the areas we will be working with a number of partners on. This idea of using new technology to deliver reproducible analytical pipelines and really, this is where national statistics offices around the world, but particularly those with low resources, can really utilise new technology to save time and improve quality. And this is something that we're really excited to be working with a number of different offices on, on a number of different topics, to really save human resources and ultimately improve quality.     MF  Tim, bringing you in...     TIM HARRIS  I think this really illustrates one of the other benefits of data science. We've talked a lot about the mobile phone records, call detail records, and their use in Ghana for producing mobility statistics, talked about using satellite imagery and machine learning in Somalia. But data science, and the tools of the digital age, can do a lot more of the basic underpinning work in statistical modernisation really well, and I think we really need to focus on that and see where we can benefit from that. And the work that Professor Annim talks about, about automating the CPI, I think that is really important. For that we can use the tools of coding, lessons from software engineering, like version control, and auditing processes, to really help us to get much greater efficiencies in these key statistical processes which any statistics office undertakes.   And we've been very pleased to work with the Ghana Statistics Service on automating their consumer price index. I think that we're seeing that it's speeded up the process, it's reduced the scope for human error, it's enabled us to put in quality assurance checks. The process has enabled us to produce much more transparent processes, and processes that can be maintained over time, because people can understand and see what's been done rather than things being hidden in a black box. So this process of automating statistical processes is really important.  I think the way we've engaged with the Ghana Statistics Service also highlights what we're trying to do in terms of building capacity for people within statistics offices to do this work for themselves. So partly we've done some of the work to help them automate. But we've also tried to build the capacity of Professor Annim and his colleagues so that they can then do this work themselves and take it forward, and not only within the consumer price index, but also seeing how they can plan more strategically about how this work can be done in other areas of statistics production.     MILES FLETCHER  Emily, what are the priorities for the future of this international development work of the ONS?     EMILY POSKETT  So our priority for the next phase of this work is to continue with the partnerships that we have and to build new partnerships. So Tim mentioned that we are working towards a new partnership with the Somalia National Bureau of Statistics. We're also considering new partnerships in Tanzania and Zimbabwe, to add to the ones we already have in Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya, Namibia and with the UNECA. And that's just in Africa. We're also looking to see what we can do to support in other regions. We have a partnership with Jordan, and a new one with the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, and we're looking to do more in that region and beyond into Asia and the Pacific as well, but also looking to consolidate the kind of topics which we've worked on previously. So we've mentioned census, data science, women into leadership training, open SDG platform, and we're also looking to do more in new topic areas. So we're looking to do more in climate and environment statistics. We think this is a really important area that we're looking to do more in, in geography and geographical disaggregation of data.  And I think we're looking to do more really on the usability of statistical outputs and dissemination of statistical outputs. I think a number of our partners do a really great job of collecting data, but there's a lot more that can be done to make use of new technology to better disseminate and improve the use of that data. So we're ambitious in the reach that we have with our small budget, but we want to make sure that we don't lose sight of sustainability, and by spreading ourselves too thinly, we could reduce the sustainability of the work that we do, and I think we're forever trying to balance off those two things.     MF  Professor Annim, perhaps I could give you the last word on this. How do you see the future of collaboration between the ONS and Ghana?     PROFESSOR SAMUEL ANNIM  We really want to push the collaboration beyond the two statistical agencies, and let me indicate that that's started already. One of the things that we want to achieve is more utilisation of our data. I mean, we are fine with the production of it. We are technical people. We can continue to improve on it. But what I see with this partnership is to scale our relationship as two national statistical offices. Our relationship should be scaled up to the data users. So we don't want to just sit as two statistical offices, improving the production of statistics, but really getting into the realm of the utilisation of statistics, and that is where we need to bring in other government agencies, based on what ONS and GSS are nurturing.     MF  There you have it, statistics are important, but it's outcomes that really matter.   That's it for another episode of ‘Statistically Speaking', thanks once again for listening.   You can find out more about our international development work, read case studies and view our ambitious strategy, setting up the ONS's vision for high quality statistics to improve lives globally, on the ONS website, ONS.gov.uk, and you can subscribe to new episodes of this podcast on Spotify, Apple podcasts and all the other major platforms.   You can also get more information, or ask us a question, by following @ONSFocus on Twitter.  I'm Miles Fletcher and our producer at the ONS is Alisha Arthur. Until next time, goodbye    ENDS 

Shivani Siroya had worked in microfinance around the world for major banks–and saw a lot of structural issues with lending to unbanked or non-traditional entrepreneurs in small doses. Before launching her own company to fix those, she went back to school–and also worked in Kenya, for the UN Population Fund. It was there she began lending her own money to small-business owners–and learned firsthand how to establish trust in lending. When she founded Tala in 2013, she also learned the value of risk–or, as she calls it, “taking the first risk.” She explains to host Christine Lagorio-Chafkin how the company took many audacious leaps through its growth to 6 million customers–including one that shook Tala to its core during the pandemic. 

Inflation threatens everyone's right to development, Human Rights Council hears   Climate change ‘recovery' fund call  Sri Lanka's health care system close to collapse, warns UN Population Fund  

Shivani Siroya had worked in microfinance around the world for major banks–and saw a lot of structural issues with lending to unbanked or non-traditional entrepreneurs in small doses. Before launching her own company to fix those, she went back to school–and also worked in Kenya, for the UN Population Fund. It was there she began lending her own money to small-business owners–and learned firsthand how to establish trust in lending. When she founded Tala in 2013, she also learned the value of risk–or, as she calls it, “taking the first risk.” She explains to host Christine Lagorio-Chafkin how the company took many audacious leaps through its growth to 6 million customers–including one that shook Tala to its core during the pandemic. 

*) US warns China of consequences of helping Russia The White House has warned Beijing of severe "consequences" if it helps Moscow evade sanctions as the Russian offensive in Ukraine widens. "We will not stand by and allow any country to compensate Russia for its losses from the economic sanctions," US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said ahead of talks with Beijing. Russia reportedly asked China for military and economic aid for its assault on Ukraine just hours after Washington's warnings. *) UN urges Russia to stop attacking health facilities Three UN agencies have called for an immediate end to Russian attacks on health care facilities in Ukraine, calling them “an act of unconscionable cruelty”. The UN Children's Fund, the World Health Organization and the UN Population Fund condemned the attacks on patients and health workers in a joint statement. In 24 of the reported Russian attacks, health care facilities were damaged or destroyed, while in five cases, ambulances were hit. A total of 12 people were killed and 34 injured, according to the UN agencies' statement. *) Europe new ‘hotspot' for arms imports Europe has seen the world's biggest rise in arms imports in the past five years, according to a study published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. While arms exports declined globally by 4.6 percent in the 2017-2021 period compared with the preceding five-year period, Europe posted a 19-percent increase. Researchers expect the trend to accelerate following recent rearmament commitments amid the Russian operation in Ukraine. *) Iran condemns Saudi executions Iran has strongly condemned Saudi Arabia's mass execution of convicted criminals, saying the move violates "basic principles of human rights and international law”. In a statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the mass execution of 81 men was carried out "without observing fair judicial processes”. More than half of those executed were Shia Muslims. Tehran's condemnation came hours after Iran temporarily suspended a fifth round of tension-easing talks with Saudi Arabia brokered by Iraq, which were set to resume on Wednesday after a long pause. And finally … *) ‘The Power of the Dog', ‘Dune' reign at BAFTA Dark Western "The Power of the Dog" has scooped the top two honours at the British Academy Film Awards, winning best film and director for Jane Campion, beating Denis Villeneuve to top prize. Villeneuve's sci-fi epic "Dune", on the other hand, had lead nominations with 11 nods and picked up the most prizes, winning five awards.

UN agencies called for an immediate ceasefire and an end to attacks on healthcare professionals and facilities in Ukraine, describing such incidents as acts of unconscionable cruelty. The UN Population Fund and the World Health Organization in a joint statement said since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, 31 attacks on health care have been documented via the WHO's Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care, the heads of the United Nations Children's Fund. The United Nations' reproductive health agency says two other Ukrainian maternity hospitals had already been attacked and destroyed before that strike.

On this week's 51%, we speak with Gayatri Patel of the Women's Refugee Commission about how the U.S. can better promote gender equality in its response to humanitarian crises. Also, Dr. Sharon Ufberg speaks with Karyn Gerson of Project Kesher about the organization's efforts to support women impacted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Guests: Gayatri Patel, vice president of external relations at the Women's Refugee Commission; Karyn Gerson, CEO of Project Kesher; Michelle Rosales, NYS Office of General Services 51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. It's produced by Jesse King. Our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue. Follow Along You're listening to 51%, a WAMC production dedicated to women's issues and experiences. Thanks for tuning in, I'm Jesse King. Last week, we highlighted the joy and empowerment that can come through traveling, and it's a wonderful thing – but I think it's important to remember that there's a certain privilege inherent in traveling for pleasure, rather than by necessity. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 82.4 million people worldwide were displaced from their homes at the end of 2020 as a result of persecution, conflict, and violence, resulting in nearly 26.4 million refugees. The struggles faced by refugees have lately been highlighted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which according to the U.N., has forced more than 2 million people – most of them women and children -- to flee their homes and seek shelter in neighboring countries. That's the estimate so far – as of this taping, Russian forces continue to push toward the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Our main guest today is part of a nongovernmental organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and children refugees. Gayatri Patel is the vice president of external relations for the Women's Refugee Commission, which also works to promote gender equality across the ways we respond to humanitarian crises. Patel notes the issue in eastern Europe right now, unfortunately, is nothing new – the Commission has been particularly monitoring the fallout in Afghanistan following the U.S. withdrawal last year.  "A lot of what we do is bring the messages of what is happening on the ground to U.S. government policymakers or to other policymakers. So when the U.S. started moving out of Afghanistan, around, unfortunately, the same time that the Taliban started taking over, and when Kabul fell, there was a real strong concern about the safety and wellbeing of women in Afghanistan – particularly those who had been active in the government, active human rights defenders," she explains. "So part of what I was doing, along with a network of women who were similarly concerned, was really trying to make sure that particularly targeted women were brought to the attention of U.S. policymakers in Congress, with the administration, so that they could be prioritized for evacuation. There were a number of people who were helping women get out, but there are, of course, a number of women who were not able to get out. So our ongoing efforts through WRC and through some of our coalitions and networks was really to continue pushing on the U.S. government to make sure that those women who remained in Afghanistan, that their needs were met, that they were kept safe to the extent possible, and that they were prioritized for pathways out of Afghanistan if they chose to leave – or, you know, if they chose to stay in Afghanistan, that they were protected, and that their rights were protected." What issues do women and children refugees particularly face, compared to men? That's a really good question, and one that unfortunately doesn't get asked enough. I mean, women and girls often have really unique considerations in crises like what's happening in Ukraine and Afghanistan and in Ethiopia, Burma, etc. The biggest concerns are really related to their health and safety. So for instance, there's an increased risk of gender-based violence, such as rape, or intimate partner violence, or child marriage. For instance, one fact that really strikes me is that, according to the UN, an estimated 70 percent of women experience some form of gender-based violence during an emergency, which is huge, huge if you think about it. Women and girls also have unique health-related concerns during an emergency: they need access to contraception, they need maternal health care, and other sexual and reproductive health care. They have nutritional needs that are unique and different. You know, that's something that we're right now, for instance, in Ukraine, really grappling with. According, again, to the UN Population Fund, 265,000 women were pregnant in Ukraine at the beginning of this current conflict, and they're estimating another 80,000, will give birth in the coming three months. And I think with the enormity of the situation, it's very easy to lose sight of the fact that these women still need health care – they're going to give birth. And so, you know, we need to make sure that there are services there that are available for them. Nutrition right now in Afghanistan – over half of Afghan children under five years old are acutely malnourished, and they're expecting 10 maternal deaths a day. These are all issues that are unique to women and girls and children in these crises. And I think one thing that's also very easy to lose sight of is that women and girls in humanitarian settings are diverse, and they experience crises differently. So, for example, women with disabilities face higher rates of gender-based violence. But because of negative or hostile attitudes, or inaccessible buildings or lack of information, they often don't get the critical care that they need. So making sure that not only are their humanitarian responses tailored to the unique needs of women and girls, but that those responses also include age, gender, other diversity factors, such as disability or being in part of an ethnic minority – those are also really critical to keep in mind. There's so many things that are involved here, at stake here. And it's really important to note that despite all of this, women and girls are largely excluded from decision making and leadership when it comes to defining their needs and the responses that will help them. And of course, this really creates gaps in responding effectively, but also really discounts that women are often on the frontlines of humanitarian response. They're often the ones who are providing the medical care, or supporting their community members, are building shelters, or are cooking the food and feeding people. And so it's so important to have them be part of the humanitarian response and part of that decision making – but they're often left out. And so that's a bigger picture thing that we really need to address as a humanitarian community. That actually does go into one of my next questions. How can we better amplify the needs of women refugees, who are the ones facing these issues, and ensure that women are in the room for major decision making and planning? Yeah, it's so simple and basic, but just recognizing [that] they want to be heard. You know, in Afghanistan, a lot of what we have done – we meaning the United States has done – in the past 20 years is build institutions and build these structures [where] African women and girls are able to go to school, are able to be part of the political structures, are able to be business leaders. They had a voice. And now we are in a stage where, you know, they need humanitarian assistance, and we're not listening to them. So we have to make it a priority to ourselves, listen to them, and make sure that they have opportunities to be heard. So, for instance, whenever there's a peace building negotiation, women should absolutely be at the table. And it's the responsibility of the U.S. government, other governments, other donors and actors who are in the room, to bring them in and make sure that they're there, and that they're heard. I think we also need to make sure that resources are available. I don't know if you heard recently about this announcement of the U.S. government requesting $2.6 billion for gender equality, and I just want to say, this is fantastic. This is the kind of commitment of resources that we need. It's historic, and certainly reflects why advocacy is so important, because we've been pushing for years for that kind of strong commitment to gender equality. That's the kind of commitment and show of political will that we need when it comes to really helping make a difference on the ground. I was gonna ask, how do you feel the U.S. ranks in its response to humanitarian crises? I think you've touched on a couple ways already in which we can improve. But are there ways that you think we get it right? Or are there ways that you think we've still got a long way to go? I think there are a lot of great things that the U.S. government does in humanitarian crises. I mean, the U.S. is the most generous humanitarian donor that's out there. I think that humanitarian assistance, and that leadership role that the U.S. plays, really needs to reflect some of these gender concerns – and in some ways they do. I mean, there's specific programming to address gender-based violence and emergencies, there's support for organizations that provide sexual and reproductive health care and emergencies from the U.S., there's support for building the capacity of humanitarian responders to see gender concerns as they're designing humanitarian responses. And so I think all of those things are good, and need to be built on – because it's a practical function, but it's also a leadership function. The U.S. plays a really critical role in bringing others on board with this idea that humanitarian response needs to have a strong gender lens to it. Lastly, is there anything that the commission is particularly looking at right now, when it comes to the war in Ukraine? Yes, we're really concerned about some of the protection concerns, in particular. Women and girls are, largely, they're the ones who are coming across the borders into neighboring countries. A lot of unaccompanied children are in that mix as well. And so really, we're looking hard to make sure that as they get to safety in those neighboring countries, [that] they have the resources, that they have the protection that they need from gender-based violence, human trafficking, etc, that the unaccompanied children have the child protection services that they need, so that they're not abused, exploited, etc. And a lot of what we've seen is that organizations who are on the ground responding to the humanitarian crisis are really looking at things like cash assistance, which is something that the WRC has really kind of built an evidence base around. Not just cash for meeting immediate needs, but cash as a means of protecting against gender-based violence, or a means of being able to leave abusive relationships, or being able to meet one's own needs rather than being dependent on others to do so in a way that could be exploited. So those are some of the things that we're looking at. We're also really keenly concerned about the maternal health, and the sexual and reproductive health in general of women and girls who are leaving Ukraine. Like I mentioned before, there's the need for maternal health care, but also the need for contraception, and dignity kits, and hygiene, including menstrual hygiene management and commodities like that. So these are all pieces that we're trying to bring together and work with advocates on the hill and with the administration and with partners who are on the ground, to make sure are really part of the mix. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me. That was all the questions that I had for you, but is there anything that I'm missing that you'd like me to know, or that you'd like our listeners to know? I think just one last point that I'd leave you with. There's so much needed emphasis on Ukraine, and so much needed emphasis on Afghanistan – but let's please not forget the women and girls and other vulnerable and marginalized groups that are in humanitarian crises around the world. I believe we've largely lost sight of what's happening in Ethiopia or in Myanmar, or the Democratic Republic of Congo, or Burkina Faso. There's so many places where there is a humanitarian situation still going on. And the women and girls in those situations deserve our attention and our support. That was Gayatri Patel, vice president of external relations for the Women's Refugee Commission. You can learn more about the Commission and its work at womensrefugeecommission.org.  Now, the war in Ukraine has prompted many in the U.S. to look into how they can personally aid Ukrainians from afar. If you're among them, it's important to know the best ways to go about it, and our next guest can certainly speak to that. Karyn Gerson is the CEO of Project Kesher, a network of Jewish women leaders and roughly 200 nonprofits working to empower women and promote tolerance in countries including Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, and Russia. From the project's offices in New York, Gerson has been trying to connect with her contacts across Europe in order to provide direct aid to women on the ground in Ukraine. It's an ongoing situation that is constantly changing, but she recently provided an update to Dr. Sharon Ufberg, co-founder of the California-based personal development and wellness company, Borrowed Wisdom, for her 51% segment “Force of Nature.”  "On a daily basis, I talk to women in the region. And frankly, every conversation starts in tears. I don't think that anyone really could have imagined how quickly and how aggressively this war would progress. And as a result, I think most people are really just in shock," says Gerson. Ufberg: What are the women telling you? Are most of them wanting to flee? Are most of them wanting to stay? How are they responding? Gerson: I think if you had asked me a few years ago, because my specialty is the Jewish community, I think that I would have expected many people just to leave the country. But now there's a much higher sense of patriotism than I've heard in the past. I think the last few revolutions in the country have really given Ukrainians a sense of ownership of their country, and a sense that the possibility of becoming more free and more European was really not too far out of their grasp. So increasingly, I'm hearing from women that they would really like to stay in their country. But everything depends on what's going on. One of my top leaders had said that she would not be leaving her town or her house until the tank rolled up to the door. Well, this week it did. And so now she's on the road, and she's moving west. And so I think this is a constant shifting situation. Ufberg: And how is Project Kesher responding to this ever-changing situation? What do you see? What are you doing? Gerson: So Project Kesher is in every oblast, every state across Ukraine. And so normally, we would really be very active and volunteer in each of these areas – but right now, everybody is in motion, and everybody is shifting. And so as I was laying out, we talk to each woman, and we try to find out their plan of action. Are they saying, are they moving? Are they leaving the country? Or are they potentially going to Israel? And after that, we are trying to get small grants into their hands. This is a very poor country. Women are unlikely to have a bank account, a credit card. If they have a debit card right now, it's not that easy to get money on the debit card. And so we're trying very hard to teach women how to download apps onto their phone, and to get money for them through things like Pay Pal. The goal is to basically give them enough peace of mind to make the journey wherever they need to go to have some shelter, to get some food, and then to really make sure we pass them off safely to the next organization that will either help them in western Ukraine or help them as they begin their journey to be a refugee. Our plans are to stay primarily focused on the women in Ukraine, where we have the most ability to have an impact. We're going to leave the refugee work to organizations like HIAS and the GDC and several others. And then because, again, we do work in the Jewish community, we will be working with a group in Israel to help on the intake of the new refugees there. Ufberg: Are you finding that these 200 women's groups are rallying around helping one another? Are people feeling isolated, or is the Project Kesher community responding there and helping one another? Gerson: Well, you really can't talk about groups at this time at all. Everybody is really trying to make the best decision for their family. I'm really working right now mostly with individual women, many of whom I've known for more than 20 years. And I can picture each one of them. And some of the things that we're doing, for instance, is we had one bank account in Ukraine – the city where that was located is getting increasingly under a military assault. So on one given day, we opened eight new bank accounts, you know, seated each one with $10, to see if the wire transfers would go through. And then the next day had women go into the bank to see if they could get the money out. And so now we have bank accounts across the country that today are working. Whether they will work tomorrow or the week after, we don't know. But we're trying to stay incredibly flexible, so that as we see things unfold and the needs start to present themselves, we are in a position to use the money that has been entrusted to us to be as flexible and responsible to the women as possible. In the first few days, I thought, “Well, what can we send?” And what I've learned from the wonderful Ruth Messenger, who was the head of American Jewish World Service, one of the leading relief organizations in the world, is don't send anything. And the reason is that the roads in that region are congested, the ability to unpack and distribute materials is very, very complicated, and really almost impossible to achieve. And also these economies in like Moldova, and Romania – to the extent we send resources, we send money to the expert organizations on the ground, they will be able to make purchases that will also stimulate those economies, because these are countries that are taking in refugees. And by saying to them that we will make these purchases through their countries, we're saying that we really appreciate that you've taken all these refugees in. One of the other things Ruth has taught me in the last few days is that if we send too much product into a country, the country will start to put taxes tariffs in place, and start to make it expensive for the nonprofits to accept these overseas packages. So I would encourage everybody who is trying to be really caring and compassionate, that if they can send money – do not send things. I would also say [we need] to realize this is going to be a long haul, that we are not going to resolve this issue quickly. These are going to be refugees for quite a long time, and Europe is going to have a heck of a time absorbing this number of people. And then there are going to be people, we hope, that when Ukraine is secured and peaceful, will choose to return home, and then the rebuilding will be a very major expense as well. So if this is a region of the world and a people you care about, be prepared to be involved in this process for many years to come. Ufberg: Thank you. Karyn, can you give us some information how listeners could find you to learn more? Gerson: So Project Kesher can be found on the Internet at www.projectkesher.org. I'm reticent to talk about too many organizations – there's quite a few great ones, but I'll just mention one, and that would be Afya. They are doing medical supply transports to the region. And if you are interested in helping to get medical supplies over, they have expert experience doing so. Again, if you just start packaging up things, it's not going to get where it needs to be. But if you work with an expert in global relief and crisis situations, then you know your monies are going to be well spent. We're going to change gears somewhat now to recognize Women's History Month. Cities, businesses, and museums across the country are celebrating women in a myriad of ways, and throughout the month of March, I'd like to take some time to learn about the prominent women in our past and present. We'll start with the annual Women's History Month exhibit on view at the New York State Capitol. You can find it in the governor's reception room, or “war room,” on the second floor. The war room has this intricate ceiling mural depicting some of the state's heroes amid a slew of battle scenes, both real and mythical, but for the rest of this month, it's women's faces and stories that take front and center. This year's “First and Foremost” exhibit features 20 New York women who either made history by being the “first” to break down certain barriers for women, or who rose to prominence as the foremost expert in their chosen field. "It's really hard to pare it down, honestly," says Michelle Rosales, a spokesperson for the state Office of General Services, which assembled the exhibit. "We have so many great historic women, and doing the research, we always end up having some for next year or the following year, you know?" As you check out the various panels you'll catch some familiar faces – Governor Kathy Hochul, State Attorney General Letitia James, the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sojourner Truth – but you'll likely notice some new names as well.  "Here we have Dr. Helen Rodriguez Trias," Rosales motions. "She lived and worked in both New York and Puerto Rico. She worked a pediatrician, and while she was doing that, she became aware of ways social and economic equality affected one's access to healthcare. So she spent the rest of her career educating and advocating for healthcare accessibility and women's reproductive rights." Rosales says one of her favorite women featured is Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, who represented New York's 12th District in Brooklyn from 1969 to 1983. Chisholm was born to immigrant parents on November 30, 1924, and she initially sought a career as a nursery teacher, getting her masters in early childhood education from Columbia University. But she was also a vocal activist, and became the second Black representative in the New York Legislature – behind Edward A. Johnson – before ultimately running for Congress. As a Congresswoman, Chisholm helped expand the food stamp program, advocated for the Equal Rights Amendment, and spoke out against the Vietnam War. In 1972, she took things a step further by running for president, becoming the first woman and African American to seek the Democratic Party nomination for the role.  "And she has a quote that I like, personally: 'If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring in a folding chair,'" adds Rosales. "I just love that, because it's powerful, and it's taking charge and making changes." At the exhibit, you'll find some campaign buttons from Chisholm's presidential run, as well as some White House invitations from Eleanor Roosevelt and a record by Native American musician Joanne Shenandoah, who died last fall at the age of 64. "She's a Grammy Award-winning artist born in Syracuse, New York, and a member of the Wolf Clan Oneida Nation. She used her heritage for her activism, so it went beyond music — she was on the task force on American and Alaskan Native Children Exposed to Violence for the U.S. Department of Justice during President Obama's administration," Rosales notes. "I want people to walk away from this exhibit feeling empowered, inspired. I have three daughters of my own, and not just for the women looking at this exhibit, but also for anyone coming here — I want them to feel like you can make change. You can look at the history and what these people have done in their various fields of study, and know that it's OK to ask questions. It's OK to push boundaries and call for equality and just make it fair." The First & Foremost exhibit is open to the public through March, weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., in the governor's reception room in the New York State Capitol. If that's too much of a trek for you, no worries, you can also catch it online. 51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. It's produced by Jesse King. Our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue.

On this week's 51%, we speak with Gayatri Patel of the Women's Refugee Commission about how the U.S. can better promote gender equality in its response to humanitarian crises. Also, Dr. Sharon Ufberg speaks with Karyn Gerson of Project Kesher about the organization's efforts to support women impacted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Guests: Gayatri Patel, vice president of external relations at the Women's Refugee Commission; Karyn Gerson, CEO of Project Kesher; Michelle Rosales, NYS Office of General Services 51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. It's produced by Jesse King. Our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue. Follow Along You're listening to 51%, a WAMC production dedicated to women's issues and experiences. Thanks for tuning in, I'm Jesse King. Last week, we highlighted the joy and empowerment that can come through traveling, and it's a wonderful thing – but I think it's important to remember that there's a certain privilege inherent in traveling for pleasure, rather than by necessity. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 82.4 million people worldwide were displaced from their homes at the end of 2020 as a result of persecution, conflict, and violence, resulting in nearly 26.4 million refugees. The struggles faced by refugees have lately been highlighted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which according to the U.N., has forced more than 2 million people – most of them women and children -- to flee their homes and seek shelter in neighboring countries. That's the estimate so far – as of this taping, Russian forces continue to push toward the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Our main guest today is part of a nongovernmental organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and children refugees. Gayatri Patel is the vice president of external relations for the Women's Refugee Commission, which also works to promote gender equality across the ways we respond to humanitarian crises. Patel notes the issue in eastern Europe right now, unfortunately, is nothing new – the Commission has been particularly monitoring the fallout in Afghanistan following the U.S. withdrawal last year.  "A lot of what we do is bring the messages of what is happening on the ground to U.S. government policymakers or to other policymakers. So when the U.S. started moving out of Afghanistan, around, unfortunately, the same time that the Taliban started taking over, and when Kabul fell, there was a real strong concern about the safety and wellbeing of women in Afghanistan – particularly those who had been active in the government, active human rights defenders," she explains. "So part of what I was doing, along with a network of women who were similarly concerned, was really trying to make sure that particularly targeted women were brought to the attention of U.S. policymakers in Congress, with the administration, so that they could be prioritized for evacuation. There were a number of people who were helping women get out, but there are, of course, a number of women who were not able to get out. So our ongoing efforts through WRC and through some of our coalitions and networks was really to continue pushing on the U.S. government to make sure that those women who remained in Afghanistan, that their needs were met, that they were kept safe to the extent possible, and that they were prioritized for pathways out of Afghanistan if they chose to leave – or, you know, if they chose to stay in Afghanistan, that they were protected, and that their rights were protected." What issues do women and children refugees particularly face, compared to men? That's a really good question, and one that unfortunately doesn't get asked enough. I mean, women and girls often have really unique considerations in crises like what's happening in Ukraine and Afghanistan and in Ethiopia, Burma, etc. The biggest concerns are really related to their health and safety. So for instance, there's an increased risk of gender-based violence, such as rape, or intimate partner violence, or child marriage. For instance, one fact that really strikes me is that, according to the UN, an estimated 70 percent of women experience some form of gender-based violence during an emergency, which is huge, huge if you think about it. Women and girls also have unique health-related concerns during an emergency: they need access to contraception, they need maternal health care, and other sexual and reproductive health care. They have nutritional needs that are unique and different. You know, that's something that we're right now, for instance, in Ukraine, really grappling with. According, again, to the UN Population Fund, 265,000 women were pregnant in Ukraine at the beginning of this current conflict, and they're estimating another 80,000, will give birth in the coming three months. And I think with the enormity of the situation, it's very easy to lose sight of the fact that these women still need health care – they're going to give birth. And so, you know, we need to make sure that there are services there that are available for them. Nutrition right now in Afghanistan – over half of Afghan children under five years old are acutely malnourished, and they're expecting 10 maternal deaths a day. These are all issues that are unique to women and girls and children in these crises. And I think one thing that's also very easy to lose sight of is that women and girls in humanitarian settings are diverse, and they experience crises differently. So, for example, women with disabilities face higher rates of gender-based violence. But because of negative or hostile attitudes, or inaccessible buildings or lack of information, they often don't get the critical care that they need. So making sure that not only are their humanitarian responses tailored to the unique needs of women and girls, but that those responses also include age, gender, other diversity factors, such as disability or being in part of an ethnic minority – those are also really critical to keep in mind. There's so many things that are involved here, at stake here. And it's really important to note that despite all of this, women and girls are largely excluded from decision making and leadership when it comes to defining their needs and the responses that will help them. And of course, this really creates gaps in responding effectively, but also really discounts that women are often on the frontlines of humanitarian response. They're often the ones who are providing the medical care, or supporting their community members, are building shelters, or are cooking the food and feeding people. And so it's so important to have them be part of the humanitarian response and part of that decision making – but they're often left out. And so that's a bigger picture thing that we really need to address as a humanitarian community. That actually does go into one of my next questions. How can we better amplify the needs of women refugees, who are the ones facing these issues, and ensure that women are in the room for major decision making and planning? Yeah, it's so simple and basic, but just recognizing [that] they want to be heard. You know, in Afghanistan, a lot of what we have done – we meaning the United States has done – in the past 20 years is build institutions and build these structures [where] African women and girls are able to go to school, are able to be part of the political structures, are able to be business leaders. They had a voice. And now we are in a stage where, you know, they need humanitarian assistance, and we're not listening to them. So we have to make it a priority to ourselves, listen to them, and make sure that they have opportunities to be heard. So, for instance, whenever there's a peace building negotiation, women should absolutely be at the table. And it's the responsibility of the U.S. government, other governments, other donors and actors who are in the room, to bring them in and make sure that they're there, and that they're heard. I think we also need to make sure that resources are available. I don't know if you heard recently about this announcement of the U.S. government requesting $2.6 billion for gender equality, and I just want to say, this is fantastic. This is the kind of commitment of resources that we need. It's historic, and certainly reflects why advocacy is so important, because we've been pushing for years for that kind of strong commitment to gender equality. That's the kind of commitment and show of political will that we need when it comes to really helping make a difference on the ground. I was gonna ask, how do you feel the U.S. ranks in its response to humanitarian crises? I think you've touched on a couple ways already in which we can improve. But are there ways that you think we get it right? Or are there ways that you think we've still got a long way to go? I think there are a lot of great things that the U.S. government does in humanitarian crises. I mean, the U.S. is the most generous humanitarian donor that's out there. I think that humanitarian assistance, and that leadership role that the U.S. plays, really needs to reflect some of these gender concerns – and in some ways they do. I mean, there's specific programming to address gender-based violence and emergencies, there's support for organizations that provide sexual and reproductive health care and emergencies from the U.S., there's support for building the capacity of humanitarian responders to see gender concerns as they're designing humanitarian responses. And so I think all of those things are good, and need to be built on – because it's a practical function, but it's also a leadership function. The U.S. plays a really critical role in bringing others on board with this idea that humanitarian response needs to have a strong gender lens to it. Lastly, is there anything that the commission is particularly looking at right now, when it comes to the war in Ukraine? Yes, we're really concerned about some of the protection concerns, in particular. Women and girls are, largely, they're the ones who are coming across the borders into neighboring countries. A lot of unaccompanied children are in that mix as well. And so really, we're looking hard to make sure that as they get to safety in those neighboring countries, [that] they have the resources, that they have the protection that they need from gender-based violence, human trafficking, etc, that the unaccompanied children have the child protection services that they need, so that they're not abused, exploited, etc. And a lot of what we've seen is that organizations who are on the ground responding to the humanitarian crisis are really looking at things like cash assistance, which is something that the WRC has really kind of built an evidence base around. Not just cash for meeting immediate needs, but cash as a means of protecting against gender-based violence, or a means of being able to leave abusive relationships, or being able to meet one's own needs rather than being dependent on others to do so in a way that could be exploited. So those are some of the things that we're looking at. We're also really keenly concerned about the maternal health, and the sexual and reproductive health in general of women and girls who are leaving Ukraine. Like I mentioned before, there's the need for maternal health care, but also the need for contraception, and dignity kits, and hygiene, including menstrual hygiene management and commodities like that. So these are all pieces that we're trying to bring together and work with advocates on the hill and with the administration and with partners who are on the ground, to make sure are really part of the mix. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me. That was all the questions that I had for you, but is there anything that I'm missing that you'd like me to know, or that you'd like our listeners to know? I think just one last point that I'd leave you with. There's so much needed emphasis on Ukraine, and so much needed emphasis on Afghanistan – but let's please not forget the women and girls and other vulnerable and marginalized groups that are in humanitarian crises around the world. I believe we've largely lost sight of what's happening in Ethiopia or in Myanmar, or the Democratic Republic of Congo, or Burkina Faso. There's so many places where there is a humanitarian situation still going on. And the women and girls in those situations deserve our attention and our support. That was Gayatri Patel, vice president of external relations for the Women's Refugee Commission. You can learn more about the Commission and its work at womensrefugeecommission.org.  Now, the war in Ukraine has prompted many in the U.S. to look into how they can personally aid Ukrainians from afar. If you're among them, it's important to know the best ways to go about it, and our next guest can certainly speak to that. Karyn Gerson is the CEO of Project Kesher, a network of Jewish women leaders and roughly 200 nonprofits working to empower women and promote tolerance in countries including Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, and Russia. From the project's offices in New York, Gerson has been trying to connect with her contacts across Europe in order to provide direct aid to women on the ground in Ukraine. It's an ongoing situation that is constantly changing, but she recently provided an update to Dr. Sharon Ufberg, co-founder of the California-based personal development and wellness company, Borrowed Wisdom, for her 51% segment “Force of Nature.”  "On a daily basis, I talk to women in the region. And frankly, every conversation starts in tears. I don't think that anyone really could have imagined how quickly and how aggressively this war would progress. And as a result, I think most people are really just in shock," says Gerson. Ufberg: What are the women telling you? Are most of them wanting to flee? Are most of them wanting to stay? How are they responding? Gerson: I think if you had asked me a few years ago, because my specialty is the Jewish community, I think that I would have expected many people just to leave the country. But now there's a much higher sense of patriotism than I've heard in the past. I think the last few revolutions in the country have really given Ukrainians a sense of ownership of their country, and a sense that the possibility of becoming more free and more European was really not too far out of their grasp. So increasingly, I'm hearing from women that they would really like to stay in their country. But everything depends on what's going on. One of my top leaders had said that she would not be leaving her town or her house until the tank rolled up to the door. Well, this week it did. And so now she's on the road, and she's moving west. And so I think this is a constant shifting situation. Ufberg: And how is Project Kesher responding to this ever-changing situation? What do you see? What are you doing? Gerson: So Project Kesher is in every oblast, every state across Ukraine. And so normally, we would really be very active and volunteer in each of these areas – but right now, everybody is in motion, and everybody is shifting. And so as I was laying out, we talk to each woman, and we try to find out their plan of action. Are they saying, are they moving? Are they leaving the country? Or are they potentially going to Israel? And after that, we are trying to get small grants into their hands. This is a very poor country. Women are unlikely to have a bank account, a credit card. If they have a debit card right now, it's not that easy to get money on the debit card. And so we're trying very hard to teach women how to download apps onto their phone, and to get money for them through things like Pay Pal. The goal is to basically give them enough peace of mind to make the journey wherever they need to go to have some shelter, to get some food, and then to really make sure we pass them off safely to the next organization that will either help them in western Ukraine or help them as they begin their journey to be a refugee. Our plans are to stay primarily focused on the women in Ukraine, where we have the most ability to have an impact. We're going to leave the refugee work to organizations like HIAS and the GDC and several others. And then because, again, we do work in the Jewish community, we will be working with a group in Israel to help on the intake of the new refugees there. Ufberg: Are you finding that these 200 women's groups are rallying around helping one another? Are people feeling isolated, or is the Project Kesher community responding there and helping one another? Gerson: Well, you really can't talk about groups at this time at all. Everybody is really trying to make the best decision for their family. I'm really working right now mostly with individual women, many of whom I've known for more than 20 years. And I can picture each one of them. And some of the things that we're doing, for instance, is we had one bank account in Ukraine – the city where that was located is getting increasingly under a military assault. So on one given day, we opened eight new bank accounts, you know, seated each one with $10, to see if the wire transfers would go through. And then the next day had women go into the bank to see if they could get the money out. And so now we have bank accounts across the country that today are working. Whether they will work tomorrow or the week after, we don't know. But we're trying to stay incredibly flexible, so that as we see things unfold and the needs start to present themselves, we are in a position to use the money that has been entrusted to us to be as flexible and responsible to the women as possible. In the first few days, I thought, “Well, what can we send?” And what I've learned from the wonderful Ruth Messenger, who was the head of American Jewish World Service, one of the leading relief organizations in the world, is don't send anything. And the reason is that the roads in that region are congested, the ability to unpack and distribute materials is very, very complicated, and really almost impossible to achieve. And also these economies in like Moldova, and Romania – to the extent we send resources, we send money to the expert organizations on the ground, they will be able to make purchases that will also stimulate those economies, because these are countries that are taking in refugees. And by saying to them that we will make these purchases through their countries, we're saying that we really appreciate that you've taken all these refugees in. One of the other things Ruth has taught me in the last few days is that if we send too much product into a country, the country will start to put taxes tariffs in place, and start to make it expensive for the nonprofits to accept these overseas packages. So I would encourage everybody who is trying to be really caring and compassionate, that if they can send money – do not send things. I would also say [we need] to realize this is going to be a long haul, that we are not going to resolve this issue quickly. These are going to be refugees for quite a long time, and Europe is going to have a heck of a time absorbing this number of people. And then there are going to be people, we hope, that when Ukraine is secured and peaceful, will choose to return home, and then the rebuilding will be a very major expense as well. So if this is a region of the world and a people you care about, be prepared to be involved in this process for many years to come. Ufberg: Thank you. Karyn, can you give us some information how listeners could find you to learn more? Gerson: So Project Kesher can be found on the Internet at www.projectkesher.org. I'm reticent to talk about too many organizations – there's quite a few great ones, but I'll just mention one, and that would be Afya. They are doing medical supply transports to the region. And if you are interested in helping to get medical supplies over, they have expert experience doing so. Again, if you just start packaging up things, it's not going to get where it needs to be. But if you work with an expert in global relief and crisis situations, then you know your monies are going to be well spent. We're going to change gears somewhat now to recognize Women's History Month. Cities, businesses, and museums across the country are celebrating women in a myriad of ways, and throughout the month of March, I'd like to take some time to learn about the prominent women in our past and present. We'll start with the annual Women's History Month exhibit on view at the New York State Capitol. You can find it in the governor's reception room, or “war room,” on the second floor. The war room has this intricate ceiling mural depicting some of the state's heroes amid a slew of battle scenes, both real and mythical, but for the rest of this month, it's women's faces and stories that take front and center. This year's “First and Foremost” exhibit features 20 New York women who either made history by being the “first” to break down certain barriers for women, or who rose to prominence as the foremost expert in their chosen field. "It's really hard to pare it down, honestly," says Michelle Rosales, a spokesperson for the state Office of General Services, which assembled the exhibit. "We have so many great historic women, and doing the research, we always end up having some for next year or the following year, you know?" As you check out the various panels you'll catch some familiar faces – Governor Kathy Hochul, State Attorney General Letitia James, the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sojourner Truth – but you'll likely notice some new names as well.  "Here we have Dr. Helen Rodriguez Trias," Rosales motions. "She lived and worked in both New York and Puerto Rico. She worked a pediatrician, and while she was doing that, she became aware of ways social and economic equality affected one's access to healthcare. So she spent the rest of her career educating and advocating for healthcare accessibility and women's reproductive rights." Rosales says one of her favorite women featured is Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, who represented New York's 12th District in Brooklyn from 1969 to 1983. Chisholm was born to immigrant parents on November 30, 1924, and she initially sought a career as a nursery teacher, getting her masters in early childhood education from Columbia University. But she was also a vocal activist, and became the second Black representative in the New York Legislature – behind Edward A. Johnson – before ultimately running for Congress. As a Congresswoman, Chisholm helped expand the food stamp program, advocated for the Equal Rights Amendment, and spoke out against the Vietnam War. In 1972, she took things a step further by running for president, becoming the first woman and African American to seek the Democratic Party nomination for the role.  "And she has a quote that I like, personally: 'If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring in a folding chair,'" adds Rosales. "I just love that, because it's powerful, and it's taking charge and making changes." At the exhibit, you'll find some campaign buttons from Chisholm's presidential run, as well as some White House invitations from Eleanor Roosevelt and a record by Native American musician Joanne Shenandoah, who died last fall at the age of 64. "She's a Grammy Award-winning artist born in Syracuse, New York, and a member of the Wolf Clan Oneida Nation. She used her heritage for her activism, so it went beyond music — she was on the task force on American and Alaskan Native Children Exposed to Violence for the U.S. Department of Justice during President Obama's administration," Rosales notes. "I want people to walk away from this exhibit feeling empowered, inspired. I have three daughters of my own, and not just for the women looking at this exhibit, but also for anyone coming here — I want them to feel like you can make change. You can look at the history and what these people have done in their various fields of study, and know that it's OK to ask questions. It's OK to push boundaries and call for equality and just make it fair." The First & Foremost exhibit is open to the public through March, weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., in the governor's reception room in the New York State Capitol. If that's too much of a trek for you, no worries, you can also catch it online. 51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. It's produced by Jesse King. Our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue.

In this week's show, inspiring messages from disability activist Irena Valarezo Cordova from Ecuador, who features in the UN Population Fund's (UNFPA) World For One Billion exhibition. And UN humanitarians remind us of the likely heavy human cost of the Ukraine crisis in Europe, while on other continents, a new biotechnology hub to make COVID vaccines, insulin and more is announced for South Korea, as African nations take stock, one year after coronavirus vaccines starting arriving in the country via the UN-partnered COVAX initiative.

In this week's show, inspiring messages from disability activist Irena Valarezo Cordova from Ecuador, who features in the UN Population Fund's (UNFPA) World For One Billion exhibition. And UN humanitarians remind us of the likely heavy human cost of the Ukraine crisis in Europe, while on other continents, a new biotechnology hub to make COVID vaccines, insulin and more is announced for South Korea, as African nations take stock, one year after coronavirus vaccines starting arriving in the country via the UN-partnered COVAX initiative.

In this week's show, inspiring messages from disability activist Irena Valarezo Cordova from Ecuador, who features in the UN Population Fund's (UNFPA) World For One Billion exhibition.And UN humanitarians remind us of the likely heavy human cost of the Ukraine crisis in Europe, while on other continents, a new biotechnology hub to make COVID vaccines, insulin and more is announced for South Korea, as African nations take stock, one year after coronavirus vaccines starting arriving in the country via the UN-partnered COVAX initiative.

In this week's show, inspiring messages from disability activist Irena Valarezo Cordova from Ecuador, who features in the UN Population Fund's (UNFPA) World For One Billion exhibition. And UN humanitarians remind us of the likely heavy human cost of the Ukraine crisis in Europe, while on other continents, a new biotechnology hub to make COVID vaccines, insulin and more is announced for South Korea, as African nations take stock, one year after coronavirus vaccines starting arriving in the country via the UN-partnered COVAX initiative.

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On "EWTN News Nightly" tonight: President Joe Biden is continuing to ask Americans to receive a coronavirus vaccine. One proposal unveiled this week would involve making that pitch on a door-to-door basis, but some lawmakers think it may be an infringement on privacy and other civil rights. Meanwhile, 17 people have been arrested in connection with the assassination of Haiti's president earlier this week at his home. Lester Munson, Senior Fellow at the National Security Institute and Principal at BGR Group, joins to share what more is known about the assassination. And President of the Lebanese Association of the Order of Malta, Marwan Sehnaoui, joins to tell us about the situation in Lebanon right now, especially for Christians living there. In an opinion piece, in the Washington Times, Representative Chip Roy and Marjorie Dannenfelser from the Susan B. Anthony List, said the UN Population Fund sees to expand access to abortion on demand. The group is set to receive government money from the Biden administration. Dannenfelser, joins to tell us more about the UN Population Fund. Finally this evening, the obligation to go to Mass is returning around the country as states lift COVID restrictions, and priests in dioceses all over the US are reminding the faithful that the Eucharist, receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, is central to Catholicism. Don't miss out on the latest news and analysis from a Catholic perspective. Get EWTN News Nightly delivered to your email: https://ewtn.com/enn

On "EWTN News Nightly" tonight: President Joe Biden is continuing to ask Americans to receive a coronavirus vaccine. One proposal unveiled this week would involve making that pitch on a door-to-door basis, but some lawmakers think it may be an infringement on privacy and other civil rights. Meanwhile, 17 people have been arrested in connection with the assassination of Haiti's president earlier this week at his home. Lester Munson, Senior Fellow at the National Security Institute and Principal at BGR Group, joins to share what more is known about the assassination. And President of the Lebanese Association of the Order of Malta, Marwan Sehnaoui, joins to tell us about the situation in Lebanon right now, especially for Christians living there. In an opinion piece, in the Washington Times, Representative Chip Roy and Marjorie Dannenfelser from the Susan B. Anthony List, said the UN Population Fund sees to expand access to abortion on demand. The group is set to receive government money from the Biden administration. Dannenfelser, joins to tell us more about the UN Population Fund. Finally this evening, the obligation to go to Mass is returning around the country as states lift COVID restrictions, and priests in dioceses all over the US are reminding the faithful that the Eucharist, receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, is central to Catholicism. Don't miss out on the latest news and analysis from a Catholic perspective. Get EWTN News Nightly delivered to your email: https://ewtn.com/enn

In this podcast episode, we are joined by international filmmaker, Sara who shot the documentary: 'A Piece of Me'. The documentary has become the most successful global campaign on Female Genital Cutting in the UNFPA's 50-year history. It reached more than 5 million people online. Various UN member states ambassadors were in attendance and pledged their commitment to the elimination of FGC by 2030. The documentary is shot in Ethiopia's Afar region in collaboration with the UN Population Fund and focuses on the stories of three women who refuse to be defined by their past traumas of FGC.

Hard times forecast for global job recovery in 2020, warns UN labour agency chief UN’s Bachelet urges Philippines’ President not to sign new anti-terror law End harmful practices against women and girls, says UN Population Fund

Glenn van Zutphen speaks to Sujata Tuladhar, Technical Specialist, Gender-based Violence, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)  Asia-Pacific Regional Office and Roy Wadia, Regional Communications Advisor, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Asia-Pacific Regional Office about empowering people who are facing domestic violence during the COVID-19 as well as how they can seek help through support groups and organisations.

Shivani Siroya, Founder & CEO of Tala, speaks with Eniac Ventures’ Nihal Mehta about her journey from finance to entrepreneurship, and now a CEO of a fast-growth company with more than 270 employees across 5 countries and $100M in venture funding. Tala is a mission-driven tech company opening financial access across emerging markets. Working for the UN Population Fund across Africa, Shivani saw the lack of access available to millions of people firsthand and started working on ways to solve the problem. Less than 5 years later, she had attracted some of the biggest names in venture capital, such as Chris Saca and Steve Case, and now has landed the support of financial giants including PayPal. In this episode, Shivani talks about the inception of Tala and how it was born to close the huge financial access gap from traditional banking practices. She warns founders to not focus on name brand funds, but shares advice on staying true to your vision and focus on what you are solving and the opportunity will follow. Shivani speaks about the challenges of hiring and finding the right people who can bring diverse viewpoints, but share Tala’s vision, as well as her responsibility for ensuring the workplace is not only diverse but an environment that is equitable and gives everyone the opportunity to succeed. She also speaks to how she manages time, the importance of her CEO letters and why she holds a weekly AMA. Send comments to seedtoscale@eniac.vc and tweet us @seedtoscale.

126 MILLION women & girls are "missing" (dead) from the world population due to severe discrimination and lack of basic human rights -- in other words due to social, man-made causes. That figure comes from the UN Population Fund. That's more deaths than World War I and World War II combined. It's 3.7% of the global female population -- a staggering loss. There is cause for hope. The fact that gendercide is a socially created, man-made problem means that it is a fixable problem. With this in mind, the Gendercide Awareness Project focuses on: 1) Raising awareness, particularly through our traveling art exhibit 2) Taking action by educating at-risk girls in developing countries. We believe that educating girls is the best long-term strategy for ending gendercide. With education and job skills, girls are transformed from economic burdens to economic assets, and they are better positioned to fight for equal rights.

Welcome to Finance & Fury’s Furious Fridays… This week we continue looking at the EU. If you didn’t catch last week’s episode, you might want to check it out here. It explains what the EU is, and what their role in Europe actually looks like. This week we dive a little deeper and look at the two issues faced by the countries who are considering leaving the EU - Loss of sovereignty & Immigration. Loss of sovereignty A lot of nations (Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland) lived under brutal authoritarian governments – for most of the 20th They swapped Nazi rule, for Soviet rule and now the EU rule The Internet Censorship Bill is a great example of loss of sovereignty Article 13 – the new Copyright Directive involves the creation of a crowdsourced database of "copyrighted works". Platforms such as FB, Youtube etc must take this into account and block “copyrighted works” from being posted on their sites. Billions of people around the world will be able to submit anythingto the blacklists There is no onus to prove you actually hold the copyright, and no punishment for false submissions Article 11 simply gives publishers the right to ask for paid licenses when their news stories are shared on online platforms. This would destroy FB and Youtube. Good or not – this is where a lot of people get their information, updates about current events and news. It’s all shared content. The thing that was the turning point for most was realising how little Sovereignty they have when considering the current immigration crisis There are two complicated issues – The Schengen Agreement and The Dublin Regulations These will probably cause the downfall of the EU Schengen Agreement- border checks on internal borders (i.e. between member states) are abolished Restricted border checks to external borders only – Meaning free travel for anyone inside the EU Some nations aren’t a part of it – UK still has customs, even on the train between France and the UK Almost the same as moving from QLD to NSW to Vic The Dublin Regulation- the EU member country that an immigrant first reaches MUST process the asylum application Prevents asylum applicants in the EU from "asylum shopping" – moving to the country of their choice, typically the country that will provide better welfare. This wasn’t well enforced until 2016, but now it’s placing too much responsibility on the member states on the EU's external borders – Italy, Greece and Hungary – who receive the most immigrants on their doorsteps. Italy – boats from Africa, Hungary and Greece – Turkey Spain – from Morocco The new proposal would introduce a "centralized automated system" to record the number of asylum applications across the EU and presents a "reference key" based on a Member State's GDP and population size. The country is essentially given a quota of how many migrants they have to accept. The populations of the country have no say on immigration policies If a Member State chooses not to accept the asylum seekers – it will have to contribute $250,000 per application as a "solidarity contribution". This got me thinking – that is a LOT of money per person – especially given the narrative that there is massive “economic benefit” in migration  So, what are the economic effects of migration? There are two sides to the coin, and it all depends on who is moving where. Immigration – the words is now used as a collective term for both legal and illegal migrants entering a country, including refugees. The “Sending” countries experience both good and bad effects off emigration. “Brain Drain” - the loss of trained and educated individuals to emigration – This is generally through legal immigration. Currently more African scientists and engineers working in the U.S. than there are in all of Africa, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Africa only retains 1.3% of the world’s health care practitioners – UN Population Fund 2006 With almost 17% of the world’s population and 64% of the population with HIV/AIDs Remittances - funds that emigrants earn abroad and send back to their home countries Estimates at $530bn in 2012 Money leaving the shores of a country reducing the multiplier effect in the nation the money is being sent from because it’s not money that will be spent in that nation. Might have small currency pressures, and also props up the sending country with higher spending   The “Receiving” countries Population growth is heightened – More people buying things, and paying taxes (that is, for the portion of immigrants who are working) This helps to address skills shortages but may also decrease domestic wages This can also add to public burden (though this is negligible for skilled migration) There are a lot of hidden costs of immigration; Welfare, Education, Healthcare, Infrastructure, Housing Increases unrest and economic inequality CIS study concluded that, “immigration has dramatically increased the size of the nation’s low-income population” Disparities between immigrants in Germany and native Germans; 49% of non-Germans falling below the poverty line compared to 23% of original native citizens.   This is due to immigrants being less likely to be employed – 81% for natives to 66% of non-Germans. “The consequences are segregation, housing problems and divided cities” (Traynor, 2010)   Who does this benefit? Migrant workers often fill low-wage jobs as supply of labour (e.g. agricultural and service sectors). Helps to lower costs for big companies and increase supply of labour at a greater rate than demand for labour …which of course means lower wage growth. For example: Why do celebs want to open borders in the US? Who else will clean their 12-bedroom mansions (ironically, they don’t let refugees stay with them) inside giant walls of their own. Economic effects – Doesn’t tell a good story Netherlands: Each Muslim migrant costs $1,150,000 in total over their lifetime Germany: Total migrant cost was $86bn over 4 years. This equates to 12 Germans needing to work to pay taxes for 1 migrant Italy: Spent $4.2bn on migrants in 2017 (about one seventh of Italy’s budget) UK: $120bn pounds over 17 years Sweden: $18.6bn in costs for migrants in 2017 (19% of their Government budget, and 3.2% of GDP) 60k Euro is spent per migrant per year, whilst the average Swedish household income is only 29k Euro. Let that sink in.   The real world effects It comes back to legal immigration vs illegal/refugee intake. There is a massive distinction. In 2015 the EU had 1.8m illegal immigrants in the one year Accepting a massive number of refugees compared to rest of world US: 38k refugees per annum Australia: 18k refugees per annum Italy: 150k refugees per annum Sweden: 160k refugees per annum (2% of their population) You hear in the media it is a “refugee crisis” but in reality, it is economic migration. A recent report showed that the reality is only 1 in 5 are coming from a ‘war zone’. Estimates at over 8m people have migrated to the EU in the past 6 years, with a staggering 75% being young men – not woman and children like you see in the media. System was broken – 65% of child refugees were actually found out to be adults. This number is even worse in Sweden at 85%. This really hurts the sending countries – there’s now slavery again in Libya through human trafficking. 78% of EU citizens want tighter control over borders and immigration.   Beyond economics – the current state of the EU Remember, these are the statistics; simply reality and the facts. The UK leaving the EU because the people feel the damage is already done Most common boys name is now Mohammed (or one of its variants) In London the white British people are a minority, Savile Town has 1% white: 48 out of 4,050 Unfortunately, it has created a clash of cultures The UK is the acid attack capital of the world – there were 77 in 2012, and 465 in 2017 Grooming gangs with underage girls (Oxford, Rotherham, Rochdale, Newcastle, the list goes on) has been going on for over 10 years. Not going to go into details but look it up, but be warned if you start to research this yourself. It’s horrific. Sweden In 2015 Sweden took in almost 180k refugees (2% of their population) This caused unrest (putting it lightly) Arson attacks – 100 cars were burned in a coordinated attack a few months ago Back in 2016 – 40 hand grenade attacks – more recently on cop stations as well “No go” zones (this has been rebranded to “Vulnerable Areas”) There were 61 ‘no go zones’ in 2017 – 23 were ‘especially vulnerable’ This is just rebranding. Whilst it’s technically true that you can still go to these places you might end up like the reporters who have gone there. Not. Good. Sanandaji Has been a sharp increase in welfare payments, 60 percent of which go to immigrants Sweden expects to spend about 7 percent of its $100 billion budget next year on refugees – double what was spent in 2015 Only 25 percent of Somali refugees (age 25–64) were employed in the formal economy in 2010 This brings us back to the EU motto from last Furious Friday episode; “United in Diversity”…but how well is that working? There is a massive difference between Racial and Cultural diversity. Race means nothing, everyone should be treated the same Culture is the cohesion that keeps a country together and the ability to communicate and cooperate, with everyone playing by the same rules, building towards the same thing, is what keeps a country together. It’s like building a house – What happens if the carpenter, tiler, builder, architect all have their own ideas about what it should look like? What if they don’t pay attention to the plans and try to make it how they want it? The EU population is annoyed as their figurative houses are falling down. And, they have little say when it comes to this. There is a difference between legal and illegal immigration, and refugee/asylum migration. One has been selected to come in and one hasn’t. It’s hard to conceptualise at the global level. But here’s a question: do you lock your doors? Or have a fence around your place? Why? To protect yourself, family or stuff from other people/strangers. A Government has one role – look after the interest of its citizens. Almost all the time that is achieved through good relationships between countries and peace. Immigration policy is the same thing as locking your doors at night, or conversely, leaving them open for anyone to come in.   History of migration Nations were built on immigrants? Very true – key word her is ‘were’. Migration has changed. In the old days it was in reverse – People from Italy, Ireland, Greece, England were moving to places that were harder to live in than their homelands - were going to make something for themselves. Flow of migration was from richest parts of the world to the poorest Where would you have rather lived – London or Australia – in 1788? Compared to today, both options don’t look great. But back then London was one of the better places to live in the world. Things were hard: for example, almost half of the original colonists in the US starved in the first few years. But thanks to socialist policies once they were given property rights things took off. Today the opposite is occurring. Major net migration has reversed over the past 200 years. I am all for immigration, but not if it hurts the local population or if it hurts the immigrants (think people smuggling, slavery, human trafficking, and the dangers of actually getting themselves to the new country). Imagine that you move to Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq. How hard would it be to integrate? Language, culture, etc. Naturally most would isolate themselves and want things to be like home. I wouldn’t dare move to another country and try and make it like Australia – what is the point then of moving? Anyone who wants to have a Socialist government can move to Venezuela – the UN released a report showing 3m people have left their due to their socialist economy.   In Summary – We’re looking at Death by Demographics Bringing these facts to bear – Not only is this restricting economic growth of the EU, it is costing more through migration We’re finishing up this topic next Friday by looking at the flow on effects of the EU breaking up; on the Share Markets, Bond markets and on economic growth. As always, if you have a question or topic you’d like to know more about, contact us at www.financeandfury.com.au/contact   Here are some links to some of the information we’ve been looking at: http://www.opennetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Tent-Open-Refugees-Work_V13.pdf http://migrationcouncil.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/2015_EIOM.pdf https://foreignpolicy.com/2016/02/10/the-death-of-the-most-generous-nation-on-earth-sweden-syria-refugee-europe/ http://bruegel.org/2017/01/the-economic-effects-of-migration/  

Mònica Clua-Losada, Univ of Texas Rio Grande Valley, on Catalan bid for independence. Jake Merrell of BYU invented football-helmet sensors that detect concussion risk. Leslee Thorne-Murphy of BYU on origins of the charity bazaar. Improv actor Patrick Livingston talks long-form improvisation in children's theater. Donna Gustafson with Parent Previews: "The Mountain Between Us" and "My Little Pony." Azza Karam from UN Population Fund discusses women's rights in the Muslim world.

The Power of Visibility: Shivani Siroya on Inventure and the Emerging Middle Class   The planets aligned and I had the opportunity to speak with a woman in high demand and nearly constant motion: Shivani Siroya, founder and CEO of InVenture. We discussed the emerging middle class, the secret sauce of context in our daily lives, and the frustration and fantasy that gave her the idea for this brave new world of data science and quality of life.   The process that led Shivani to create InVenture - what she describes as mobile technology and data science company - was an organic one. Raised in both India and the US, she always had a sense that the people around her, regardless of geography or means, were equal. As a part of her work for the UN Population Fund, she spoke with over 4500 individuals in 9 distinct markets, and this deep dive only broadened her concept of value when it came to people and their businesses. The more she spoke with people, the more she realized that banks have a massive blind spot when it comes to determining lendability: they didn’t see their prospective customers’ daily lives, or how they interacted with the world around them. In her own words, “We needed to create a system for financial services that put people on a level playing field.” Thus, InVenture was born.   InVenture allows members of the emerging middle class in developing nations to forgo the dusty old school FICO type score and apply for loans and credit directly via their smartphones. Not only that, but the decision takes only a handful of minutes - and if consumers are denied, they are given insights as to how to improve their “score.” InVenture determines a person’s lendability by comparing their answers on a short questionnaire to the mobile data gleaned from their smartphones, and within moments someone who was once invisible to banking institutions is now able to make purchases for their business or even pay to attend school. By using this technology to uncover previously obscured data points, the InVenture team aren’t just providing consumers with money - they’re giving people unprecedented access to a chance at improving their quality of life.   Join us as we delve into this massive onramp for the emerging middle class, visibility as a superpower, data privacy, and the future of InVenture. Will citizens of the world soon be using their smartphones to prove their lendability? Shivani firmly believes that fresh relevant data, rather than a static snapshot is a more accurate reflection of that person. “Our ability to see that, as a company, is our value.”   Shivani LInkedIn Shivani Twitter Shivani TED profile Inventure site   For more visit: instigating.co Production: www.moondogmarketing.com

So we had a scare. But all ends well.    This episode is in two parts. First, you'll hear directly from my amazing wife about giving birth in our family car. It's a crazy story. Then, I speak with Dr. Luc de Bernis Senior Maternal Health Advisor at the UN Population Fund who puts our experience in a larger global health context. We discuss various interventions to reduce maternal and newborn mortality around the world, including the deployment of what the World Health Organization calls "Skilled Birth Attendants."     I've reported on health systems and maternal and new born health for years and visited clinics and hospitals in Bangladesh and several countries in sub-saharan Africa, but it wasn't until my wife gave birth in our old car that I truly appreciated the role of a skilled birth attendant in ensuring the safety and health of mother and child. 

In this week's podcast we discuss publishing medical details with former health editor of The Sun, Jacqui Thornton. Rogaia Abuelgasim Abdelrahim, the UN Population Fund's deputy representative in Somalia, explains how the drought and subsequent crop failure there has been exacerbated by existing political problems and led to widespread famine. And Natalie Grazin, Assistant Director of the Health Foundation, talks about making shared decision making a reality.

The UN marks October 31st 2011 as the day when the world human population reaches 7 billion. Terra Verde discusses with the UN Population Fund's Michael Herrmann. The post 7 billion people, 1 planet – October 28, 2011 appeared first on KPFA.