Generation Equality 2020

Special Edition | Gen Equality2020

LOREMIPSUM DOLORSIT

Inside t his Issue Pg 14

Pg 40

Pg 4

Pg 24 Pg 9 Pg 36

Pg 20

Contact Us

Pg 50

Pg 47

Pg 54

media@anankemag.com PO BOX

125344 Cover Image Al exandr Ivanov f r omPixabay

Images Credits: Pixabay &Unspl ash

Any form of plagiarism, copying, screen-grabs, and/ or printing without due credits to the writer & publisher (Ananke) is strictly prohibited.

To credit , please write: By [writer's name], published by Ananke [link of the article & website]

TheTEAM Founder & Executive Editor Sabin Muzaf far Editor At Large Mel anieBubly k Foreign Correspondent Nigeria Chiamaka Adinnu Contributors Gl adys Mut har a Rochel l eDean Digital Intern Xu Ziqi

Special Ment ion The year 2020 is a special year and Team Anank e would like to take this opportunity & thank all its supporters, who have worked with us side by side (not limited to the names below).

Susan Linda Stasi

Sana Noreen

Mel issa Sassi

Maria Umer

Mar y Mshai

Faiza Yousuf

Josephine Adeti

Gladys Muthara

Mandy Sangher a

Mar diya Titi

Rosie Stephenson Goodknight

Liz Guantai

Roxana Damas

Garnett Achieng Oballa

Kir thi JayaKumar

Rameeza Haq

Shamim Rajani

Maha Tazi

Muhammad Muzaffar Jamil

Edit or ial How far have we come in the realization of Gender Equality and Women?s Economic Empowerment? Almost 25 years have passed since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995.

It was only last year (2019) when we were not only celebrating 100 years of women in law (UK), but also taking stock of progress made thus far. Many would say, there has been progress with even under developed countries in the Global South either adopting or supporting the cause of women upliftment.

Governments are slowly realizing no economy could thrive or reach sustainability without half of its population. But that said, there is much ground that needs to be covered.

It will take women more than 200 years to achieve gender equality at the workplace. According to ITU, only eight percent of countries have a higher proportion of women using the Internet with the digital gender gap increasing in developing countries. This, coupled with the yawning gender gap of mobile phone ownership, is a huge barrier to women?s economic empowerment as it denies them access to opportunities of learning, financial autonomy, as well as modern markets. The key word here being access with disruptive technologies potentially being a game-changer for women and by extension sustainable development!

Good news is that a huge chunk of global population lives within the far reaches of a mobile network and does not require computers at home to be online. The new report by ITU reveals that approximately 4.1 billion people have Internet access in 2019, a 5.3 percent increase from 2018. This also shows the steadying effects of global growth rates as many countries and regions are reaching a saturation point. With the global penetration rate increasing from almost 17 percent in 2005 to more than 53 percent in 2019, the number of Internet users have also gone up by 10 percent every year from 2005 to 2019.

The study further reveals countries like Australia, Russia, parts of Eastern Europe, Latin America does have equal proportions of Internet users by gender in 2019. The proportion of women accessing the digital world is 48 percent globally as compared to men who fare better at 58 percent, thus creating a globally Internet user gap of 17 percent. Gaps still exist in the Global South as far as Internet usage is concerned, in Northern America there is a higher proportion of men using the Internet as compared to countries in South America. This can be attributed, states the study, to the rapid growth in the number of male Internet user in developing countries. Additionally, the gender gap has been

Gender Eq ual i ty i n th e Di gi tal A ge

Sabin Muzaffar celebrates theyear 2020 and theUN themeGeneration Equality by delvingdeep intohow disruptivetechnologiesand theageof innovation can be a gamechanger for inclusivedevelopment.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

widening in the Arab states, Asia and the Pacific as well as Africa.

With innovation leading the way, the path to empowerment, equality and even sustainable development nonetheless remains impeded.

Data, is indisputably the genetic code of development and the right route to sustainability. Access to data ? especially disaggregated gender data ? enables highlighting issues holistically; it helps support governments, policymakers and international organizations develop evidence-based policies

and responses to situations. Gaps, limited and/or holes in data facilitates everything otherwise.

On t h e Woes of Gen der Dat a Gap It is not rocket science to understand that lack of gender data is one of the biggest hurdles for empowerment and achieving gender equality ? be it health: reproductive and otherwise, financial autonomy or access to technology and therefore opportunities. With the rise of disruptive technologies, it has become crystal that collection and analysis of statistics and most

Data Data ii ss ii ndi ndi sputabl sputabl yy th th e e geneti geneti cc code code of of dev dev el el opment opment and and th th e e ri ri gh gh tt route route to to sustai sustai nabi nabi ll ii ty. ty.

Photo by Pixabay

importantly sex-disaggregated data can help pinpoint gender gaps. The starting point of all development depends on having a complete and global picture of all genders?social, economic and political conditions.

As far as data is concerned, there are huge gaps found not just in under developed but also developed countries. According to the UN Women report: Making Women and Girls Visible, sustainable development urgently requires more and better gender data with only 23 percent of data being available from 2010 onwards.

During the 63rd session at the Commission on the Status on Women in 2019, Mohammed Marzooq (Iraq), Vice Chair of the Commission emphasized the need to enhance the availability of gender statistics, ringing the alarm that significant gaps in gender statistics still exist. ?Information is available for less than a quarter of the indicators required to monitor

gender?specific elements of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Marginalized groups remain largely invisible in official statistics,? he said. The Commission also focused on the importance of inclusive data with Claudia Wells, Director of Data Use at Development Initiatives underscoring the urgent needs of leaving no one behind. ?If women are missing from data, this leaves a huge gap. all populations must be included in data, and data should be disaggregated to accurately describe all populations. Civil registration is vital for people to access services, welfare and rights and for Governments to capture important information about their citizens for effective decision?making.?

Citing the example of out?of?school rates in Nigeria, she observed that factors such as identity and ethnicity can result in further exclusion, demonstrating the importance of data disaggregation. ?It?s not just about collecting more data,? she said, calling for inclusivity.

Armed with sex-disaggregated data helps fill in gender gaps that can subsequently lead to a better understanding of problems as a poor evidence base invariably leads to inappropriate regulations and policymaking among a variety of issues. But all things realized, said and done, the premise is still a utopic vision as there are mammoth-size challenges in actually acquiring such data. It includes lack of resources, human and material, and proper skills needed to collect, mine, analyze or track data especially in the national statistical systems which then puts a huge question mark on its reliability. Lack of universal standardization of processes due to contextual barriers such as social norms which are usually difficult to measure and socio-cultural restrictions that may lead to either unclear or conflicting findings. One of the main problems emerging from socio-cultural issues is gender bias in data collection. The European Institute for Gender Equality noted that ?under reporting or misreporting of demographic, social or economic characteristics associated with one of the sexes? is a strong indicator of gender bias. Adding: ?Some examples of sex bias in data collected are under-reporting of women?s economic activity, under-counting of girls, their births or their deaths; or under-reporting of violence against women.?

But aspiring to have women?s participation in information (read, modern) society ? which has actually been recognized as ?integral to both the realization of women?s rights in the 21st century and a just, inclusive and rights based society?? does not solely rely on the collection and analyzing of sex-disaggregated data. Access, literacy and use of digital technologies has transformative potential in making gender equality a reality.

With the globalizing effect of the Internet, the world out there is easily accessible especially for women; with just a click of a button, augmented

by the penetration, proliferation and use of mobile phones. According to a GSMA report: ?Mobile phones are valued by women as tools that enhance their lives, making them feel safer, more autonomous and connected.? A GSMA study in 11 low- and middle-income countries revealed that: -

-

-

89%-100% of women in every country said mobile phones helped them (or would help them) stay in touch with friends and family 74% - 98% of women in every country said mobile phones saved time (or would save them time) 68% - 94% of women in every country reported they felt safer (or would feel safer) with a mobile phone

Research conducted by the GSMA (an organization that tackles the world?s most pressing challenges by bringing together the public and private sectors to transform lives through access to mobile) shows that the mobile gender gap in Pakistan is 37 percent, 33 percent in Bangladesh, 26 percent in India, nine percent in Cote d?Ivoire, six percent in Kenya and surprisingly zero percent in Mexico.

Owning a mobile phone means harnessing immense potential opportunities of human and economic development. With about 1.7 billion people, mostly women, unbanked, global illiteracy rates hitting the roof and debilitating healthcare services, especially maternal and child, mobility can be the very tool that can lead us out of this quagmire. According to the 2019 GSMA report, women are 10 percent less likely than men to own mobile phone, which means 197 million fewer women own a cellphone than their male counterparts. And statistics take a further nosedive when it comes to digital literacy, internet access and use.

Again, there are numerous reasons attributed to not just owning a mobile phone but also

mobile literacy and access to the Internet.

Preventing women access and ownership of mobile phone stems from cultural taboos and a complex set of socio-cultural barriers, apart from affordability, questions about safety and literacy issues. As a consequence, these barriers deny women the ability to thrive socially, politically as well as economically.

It is not untrue to claim mobile ownership can lead to digital inclusion. Initiatives such as the M-Pesa in Kenya ? an innovative form of mobile money ? has actually helped households emerge out of abject poverty with ?increased daily per capital consumption levels in female-headed households increasing twice as much as in male-headed households suggesting that mobile money disproportionally benefits women.?

Mobile apps such as Raaji created by Aurat Raaj from Pakistan not only raises awareness about reproductive health, it educates and keeps women and girls informed about their general well being and hygiene that are oft considered taboo subjects in patriarchal societies. While the award winning Cyber Harassment Line launched by Digital Rights Foundation helps victims of violence and harassment; other apps including Safecity, and Saahas by the Red Elephant Foundation help protect survivors by organizing ?several campaigns to spread awareness about gender-based crimes?or being a ?one stop spot for all kinds of assistance and support that a survivor of gender based violence may seek.?

The roadmap is perfectly laid out with the right tools that can be leveraged to empower society inclusively, holistically and sustainably. 25 years have gone by, with exactly 10 more years to the 2030 vision of sustainable development. Time maybe

running out, voices are now hoarse with protestations calling out stakeholders, so the question is?

Are we all listening?

Th e roadmap i s perf ectl y l ai d out w i th th e ri gh t tool s th at can be l ev eraged to empow er soci ety i ncl usi v el y, h ol i sti cal l y and sustai nabl y. 25 years h av e gone by, w i th ex actl y 10 more years to th e 2030 v i si on of sustai nabl e dev el opment. Ti me maybe runni ng out, v oi ces are now h oarse w i th protestati ons cal l i ng out stak eh ol ders, so th e q uesti on i s?

A re w e al l l i steni ng?

Gen der Equ alit y in Au st r alia Progress and Regress Melanie Bublyk talks about her homeland, Australia, 25 Years on from The Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action.

The largest gathering of women in history took place at the 4th Conference on Women in Beijing, China from the 4th to the 15th September 1995. During the conference, then FLOTUS, Hillary Rodham Clinton declared that ?women's rights are human rights and human rights are women's rights?. This was a pivotal moment in history because at the conclusion of the 4th Conference on Women, a resolution had been adopted by the United Nations, with a set of principles concerning the equality of men and women, known as the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action(BPFA) and adopted by 189 countries including Australia. It was evident that there was unity from all corners of the world of the urgency to improve the status of women and to achieve that, the world needed a framework. The decisive objective was gender equality and women?s empowerment. The Beijing Declaration is considered the most progressive blueprint ever for advancing women?s rights.

The year 2020 marks 25 years since the Beijing declaration. Poverty, education, health, the economy, power and decision-making, human rights, armed conflict, institutional mechanisms, the media, the environment, violence against women, and the girl-child are the 12 key areas of concern and were the focus of the Beijing declaration. How far has Australia come over the past quarter of a century in advancing the status of women? Australia?s progress towards gender equality is considered by the measures outlined in the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA). Australia was once a leader in the global struggle for gender equality and has a robust history of the grassroots women?s movement and women?s machinery of government. The women?s policy machinery that was established in the 1970?s had gained international recognition. However, this report from 2007 highlights the regress during the most part of the 21st Century, leading to the collapse of the achievements during the 20th century. The challenges that Australian women face today that

hinder equality may not be the same as the challenges that hinder equality for women in other parts of the world. However, regardless of where you are born, inequities between the sexes is a fact. During the 25 years since the Beijing declaration, Australian women have endured both progress and regress towards the advancement of their human rights.

Australia came under its eight periodic review at CEDAW and in July 2018 the committee delivered it recommendations.

The United Nations committee handed down over 90 recommendations for improvement, a clear indication that Australia is falling behind in advancing the rights of women and girls. Key issues that were raised were the absence of a charter of rights, Australia is one of very few democracies to be void of this protection for its citizens. Violence Against Women and sexual harassment, women?s economic disadvantage, access to justice and the treatment of diverse groups of women who face great challenges in accessing and enforcing their rights because of major barriers.

These barriers include discrimination, lack of access to appropriate

services, higher risk of violence, higher unemployment and homelessness rates and lower representation in public life. The groups of women include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, LGBTI women, women with disability, women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, refugee women and older women.

The Australian Government admitted to the CEDAW committee during its periodic review in June 2018 that on most fronts it had no plans to amend laws or policies to improve protection of the rights of women and girls in the Australian community.

In their national review-Beijing +25, the Australian Government has highlighted funding measures that are having positive impact within the Australian community. Headspace is the National Youth Mental Health Service and provides targeted support to young people aged 12-25 years who have, or who are at risk of, mental illness in four key areas, mental health, related physical health, alcohol and other drug use, and social and vocational support.

There are currently 109 headspace centres operational across Australia.

The headspace model of services is also offered through free, confidential and anonymous telephone and web-based support, called eheadspace. Ou r Wat ch is an independent, not-for-profit organisation established in June 2013 by the Commonwealth and Victorian Governments as a key initiative under the National Plan. Through projects in schools, the media and the non-government sector, Our Watch aims to create attitudinal

change to prevent violence against women and their children through community engagement and advocacy. Our Watch released the Doing Nothing Does Harm campaign and aims to motivate people to do something when they see or hear disrespect towards women. The Doing Nothing Does Harm campaign helps people to identify disrespect towards women, take responsibility to do something in these situations and know what to do in a way they feel comfortable. In 2015, the Australian Government established the world's first government agency dedicated to the online safety of its citizens. The then Office of the Children's eSafety Commissioner (OESC) was established to help protect Australian children from cyberbullying and to take a national leadership role in online safety for children through education, advice and enforcement. In response to broader online safety concerns the mandate of this office was expanded in 2017 to promoting and enhancing online safety for all Australians. In June 2017, the Australian Government appointed Ms June Oscar AO as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner. Her Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women?s Voices) project is a significant opportunity to elevate the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls and will provide clear guidance for governments to improve their capacity to positively support women, their families and communities.

Australia hasin thepast been a world leader in thestruggle for gender equality and women?srights.

Australia has in the past been a world leader in the struggle for gender equality and women?s rights. In the 25 years since the Beijing declaration and platform for action, Australian women have endured progress and regress. A major barrier that hinders the realisation of rights and access to opportunities for women and girls in Australia is gender inequality. Structural and systematic gendered inequalities underpin the unequal status of Australian women and girls. Gender inequality interacts with other systems of power and inequality resulting in multiple and intersecting experiences of inequality and disadvantage for marginalised women. Economic opportunity and participation and political representation are key concerns for Australian women and girls. Data from The World Economic Forum?s, Global Gender Gap Report, shows that in 2010, Australia was ranked 24th for economic participation and opportunity and in 2012, was in 22nd position. In 2017 it had regressed considerably to 42nd position, with even further regression in 2018 to 46th. Political empowerment has also seen a period of regress with data showing that in 2010 Australia was ranked 38th, in 2012 Australia ranked 42nd, in 2017 it had regressed to 48th position and further regression to 49th in 2018.

Beijing +25 is a pivotal year for the accelerated realisation of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, everywhere and is also the five year milestone toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, therefore is a timely opportunity to celebrate women?s rights achievements and to also identify the gaps that hinder progress for women and girls.

Photos by UnSplash

In the25 yearssincetheBeijingdeclaration andplatform for action, Australian women haveenduredprogressand regress. A major barrier that hinderstherealisation of rights andaccesstoopportunitiesfor women andgirlsin Australia isgender inequality. Structural andsystematicgendered inequalitiesunderpin theunequal statusof Australian women andgirls.

M a?an Contributing towards the common good Established in February 2019 by the Department of Community Development in Abu Dhabi UAE, Ma?an is an organization that envisions bringing together the government, private sector and civil society to support a culture of social contribution and participation. The authority seeks to deliver solutions for social challenges with four main pillars of work ? a Social Investment Fund, a Social Incubator Program, a Social Volunteering Program and the introduction of a new type of public contracting, Social Impact Bonds. HE Sal ama Al Ameemi, Dir ector Gener al , Authority For Social Contribution ? Ma?an, speaks with Sabin Muzaffar about impact and contributing towards common

Tell u s a lit t le m or e abou t you r or gan izat ion , w h at k in d of im pact does it st r ive t o m ak e?

As a government entity, Ma?an was launched with the primary focus on encouraging active citizenship and developing the ?third sector ? that supports all residents in Abu Dhabi. The city has undergone remarkable transformation in a short space of time, establishing itself as a key destination for businesses and tourism.

While this is something we are extremely proud of, as a government organization, we have the responsibility to ensure that Abu Dhabi and the UAE can build on this platform and be a place that has an excellent quality of life and cohesive communities.

This means it is essential that the ?third sector ? organizations such as voluntary, charitable or non-government companies including social enterprises and non-profit businesses are given the opportunity to flourish.

Our mission is to create collaborative communities that contribute towards the common good. Through our pillars of work, Ma?an will lead change by providing resources to help seed and grow community-based organizations and lead the introduction of outcomes-contracting as a tool to address social challenges. Ma?an will also promote community engagement with more volunteering opportunities and establish channels to raise and allocate funds towards community-based organizations and social initiatives.

Social impact takes many forms but the aims that guide our work include seeing more social programs established, an increase in volunteers, more funding raised through strategic partnerships that supports people in our society and more job opportunities in the social sector.

Wh y is it n ecessar y t o en cou r age people t o par t icipat e in t h e social sect or ?

We are already fortunate that the spirit of philanthropy is strong in the UAE, having been ranked 12th in the world for its generosity in the World Giving Index 2018.

Soci al i mpact tak es many f orms but th e ai ms th at gui de our w ork i ncl ude seei ng more soci al programs establ i sh ed, an i ncrease i n v ol unteers, more f undi ng rai sed th rough strategi c partnersh i ps th at supports peopl e i n our soci ety and more j ob opportuni ti es i n th e soci al sector.

While that bodes well for what we want to achieve, it is critical that as many people as possible come forward and support our goals to achieve maximum results. People may not actually realize the benefits of becoming active citizens in society, but their contribution will help make better changes. They will have the chance to meet new people, enhance their knowledge, put their skills into daily use and most importantly make a difference to somebody?s life.

In addition, it is clear that economic and social progress go hand in hand. With more and more people across the globe becoming increasingly concerned with a range of social issues such as the environment, women?s empowerment and business ethics, it is clear that there are also opportunities for business in this sector.

Part of our role is to educate the public about the social sector and build understanding about the importance of taking a philanthropic approach to solving social challenges.

We ai m to create a sh i f t i n percepti ons i n al l areas of our soci ety and encourage more peopl e to ch oose soci al busi ness as a career.

For example, our senior citizens??Journey of Generations?initiative, part of our Community Engagement Program was a huge success when we ran the pilot events in September and October. We attracted 55 senior citizens and more than 100 volunteers and you could see the smiles on their faces as old and young found friendships they never thought possible.

Creating more moments like these is part of our vision and we invite people in Abu Dhabi to get involved.

We know that we can increase knowledge around social enterprises and build understanding.

We aim to create a shift in perceptions in all areas of our society and encourage more people to choose social business as a career.

Wh at r ole is M a?an playin g t o u n it e t h e gover n m en t , pr ivat e sect or an d civil societ y?

From the day Ma?an was launched in February, we have been making continuous efforts to

raise awareness of what we want to achieve in the social sector. Forming and fostering relationships with government and private organizations is key to our plans and our work has not gone unnoticed with a lot of companies showing interest.

Ma?an will advocate on behalf of the social sector in the capital ? both within government and in the private sector. We are sending a message that responsible not-for-profit associations and social entrepreneurs will be welcomed in Abu Dhabi and together we can make a social impact in our communities.

Whether it is through our work to facilitate Social Impact Bonds or incubate new businesses that serve the social priorities of the government, Ma?an acts as a bridge to activate and encourage solutions to social challenges.

We are also holding a series of ?Join the Conversation? workshops and events, which have

brought together government, business and the third sector to discuss different social issues.

Our first workshop, which focused on people of determination, saw more than 70 people engage in dialogue on solutions that would improve their lives as well as gaining an understanding of Ma?an?s objectives and vision for the future.

We w ou ld love t o h ear you r view s abou t h ow social im pact is dir ect ly align ed w it h su st ain abilit y?

As mentioned, the belief that economic and social progress are intertwined is critical to our vision. Ma?an?s approach is not a charitable one. We are very much of the view that social programs and business solutions for the community can be sustainable if they have an unrelenting focus on impact.

Our role is to help get these innovative solutions off the ground and support them to be

self-sustaining.

The needs of the community cannot be solved by a one-off donation or a one-off act of charitable kindness, it is important that the social sector we create in Abu Dhabi can stand on its own.

Part of this is being able to generate sustainable streams of income and we will be working with companies to help guide their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs. It is also why we want to encourage social businesses to develop and, soon, we will be launching a Social Investment Fund that will generate sustainable income for Abu Dhabi?s third sector for generations to come.

Can you t ell u s w h at t h e social acceler at or is specif ically look in g f or w h en on boar din g st ar t -u ps?

Our inaugural Social Incubator (MSI) program launched earlier this year and the final ten entrepreneurial teams are currently working towards developing their innovative ideas into a product that will improve the lives of people of determination in everyday life. As part of the program, they will have access to mentors and investors as well as getting

milestone funding, business advice and office space.

When we opened applications for this program, we made it clear that we are looking for people who are talented, enthusiastic, creative and adaptable. Running a business can be challenging, so just as important as a start-up?s innovative idea is the determination needed to succeed as well as an evidence-based approach to measuring impact.

Do you agr ee t h at in clu sion an d diver sit y ar e f u n dam en t al pillar s t h at dr ive in n ovat ion ? An d h ow does M a?an align it s vision w it h t h e ideals of in clu sion ?

Our goal is creating a positive change in society, so inclusion and diversity are central to our plans going forward. Not only will inclusion and diversity create a better society in Abu Dhabi and the UAE, it will also enable better results and opportunities for communities and organizations. We are fortunate that Abu Dhabi is one of the most diverse cities in the world with more than 100 nationalities calling the city their home. There are people from all walks of life working and residing in Abu Dhabi and we have a unique opportunity to use this range of worldviews

to drive innovation. Innovation is key to the future growth of the social sector and we look forward to working across communities to solve social challenges together.

can play in supporting women?s empowerment and providing opportunities for female leadership roles in the not-for-profit sector.

Wh at in you r opin ion is n eeded t o en cou r age m or e par t icipat ion of w om en in en t r epr en eu r ial ven t u r es?

How is M a?an u n iqu e?

I am very proud to have been born in the UAE, a country which takes its responsibilities towards gender equality seriously. The UAE is ranked as a leading country for gender equality in the region, according to the World Economic Forum?s 2018 Global Gender Gap report. We have a fundamental belief that women and men are equal partners in society. Through a series of public and private sector initiatives, women are playing an increasingly stronger role in business, military and government.

Both in business and in government, whether they are customers or citizens, it is my belief that to effectively deliver for our client base, boardrooms should be reflective of the society which they serve. With equal representation we can create happy, healthy societies that effectively respond to the needs of its citizens. In doing so, we will achieve success ? whether in business or government.

Indeed, the social sector is one area in which there is real potential to implement the ideals of gender equality and develop more opportunities for women as this sector grows.

I believe the social sector can be a tool to support gender equality in a range of powerful ways. Whether as a source of funding; as a means to deliver training or employment opportunities for women; as a way to create economic empowerment for women through entrepreneurship; or to provide affordable products and services for the community.

For example, in our first cycle, over half of the social entrepreneurs that joined Ma?an?s first Social Incubator program are women. It is testament to the role that social enterprise

Ma?an is part of the ?Ghadan 21?programme, launched by the government, that is working to accelerate Abu Dhabi?s economywith the ambition of making the Emirate one of the best places in the world to do business, invest, live, work and visit. We believe in a community where the power of collaboration drives inclusive growth. We will work across communities and economic sectors to encourage active citizenship in all of Abu Dhabi residents and nurture the best ideas from across the Emirate to address social challenges and make a difference to people?s lives.

Di gi tal Sk i l l s is a Basi c Ri gh t, No Gi rl Sh oul d be Lef t Beh i nd

By Gladys M u t h ar a

The future of work is characterised by technological innovations and transformation across sectors, and affecting economic growth, job creation and job loss. Everyday, new technological advances are emerging and affecting our lives and work so much, that we are almost unable to cope up with constantly re-inventing our skills and knowledge. Technology is, therefore, demanding that we engage in life-long learning, with new trends of skills and knowledge acquisition promising to become commonplace, for instance; many online courses are now available from the best institutions of learning in the world through Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs).

While this emerging demand cannot be ignored, however, a future whose creation and access to jobs is largely pegged on technological progress means that access to digital skills and broadband must also be inclusive. But is this the case? Just like the rest of Africa, access to basic digital skills and broadband in rural Kenya is a nightmare for many, and seemingly for a privileged few. Besides difficulties in access to the internet, those who have it do not even know how to use it gainfully, and are often subject to exploitative service provider deals, with internet that expires automatically depending on the subscription time, and which mints

millions for owners. Similarly access to basic ICTs and skills is scarce for those living in poverty majority who live in rural areas.

A foundation in ICTs and digital access lays ground for future learning, specialisation, and even technological innovations by curious young people. Early exposure for young people in regions with multiple challenges caused by inefficiencies and which may depend on technological innovations to resolve, can be a great enabler in the development of solutions. This can be seen in Kenya?s case where young people are coming up with tech-based startups to solve various social-economic issues like enabling access to education, insurance, credit, worker ?s pay, and markets for farmers, among many others. I imagine technology can be used to innovatively develop many more solutions for the agriculture and service industries, enhancing productivity while creating new avenues for income and job creation.

Recently, while attending a tech conference by one of the giant tech companies in the world, I analysed the representation of young participants and was disappointed to see that they all represented an urban demographic, and one which you could clearly see has been well privileged in terms of exposure. Worse is that, of all the young people who made very brilliant presentations of their tech-based solutions addressing challenges in health, sexuality and reproduction, education, and finance, none was a young woman. The pitching desk was dominated by young men, and I was just among the few young women attending the event, obviously not to pitch any solution. And I thought to myself, when will a young person, the girl whose reality is poverty-related challenges on a daily basis, ever get the tools, skills, and then a platform such as this to showcase their innovative tech-solutions.

For a girl living in poverty in rural Kenya, where technological infrastructure is not just the only thing that is underwhelmingly developed, but so are exposure platforms for acquisition of vital technical skills, a future of

work characterised by technological influence promises to be nothing but a grim one.

Technology advancement holds the promise of improving economic growth through agriculture and service sectors. For instance, ?ICTs can play a major role in upgrading all stages of agricultural value chains. Precision agriculture can increase productivity at the farm level using ?big data? and autonomous vehicles to optimize application of inputs. ICT platforms can help develop new business models that are particularly amenable to increased youth participation, like delivering agricultural services by connecting farmers to service providers, which allow farmers to buy mechanization services. Similarly, the Esoko platform is allowing farmers to connect to markets. Blockchain technologies are being used to guarantee food safety standards that are key to participating in lucrative international food markets. Big data and the Internet of Things (IoT) are making ?telephone? farming a reality.? (AfDB, ADB, EBRD, IDB. 2018. The Future of Work: Regional Perspectives) Similarly, technology is enabling the creation of many new jobs in the service industry for example transport, trade, accommodation, information & communication, finance, and entertainment. For instance; young people can now record and share their entertaining and educative videos on YouTube from which they can earn a living; they can access financing to start micro-enterprises; those with motorbikes can join Uber as riders to offer transportation, while those with extra housing space can rent it out to guests via Airbnb. This is in addition to the opportunities created in formal employment, for well paying careers in Information Technology (IT).

The question then begs, what will the future of work look like for a young woman in rural Kenya, if the current trends of investment in technological infrastructure and learning are anything to go by or will it be another reason to leave behind young women and girls,

unjustifiably excluding them even in new opportunities for economic empowerment?

Intentional investment in girls learning ICTs and accessing vital tools and platforms for exposure and continued learning must be prioritized, if our promise as a nation is to realise inclusion, as well as eradicate poverty.

Young women and girls in rural Kenya, where a majority of the population usually earn less than $3 a day, hold the key in transforming various sectors, including agriculture, transportation, education, and health, when the right foundation is laid out for them.

Coupled with the advantage of being less mobile, an investment in skills and knowledge acquisition among young women and girls in rural Kenya holds the potential to transform these regions in ways unimaginable, boosting economic growth and multiplying jobs creation, with the agency of those mainly affected by unemployment and socio-economic deprivation.

Abou t Au t h or : Gladys M u t h ar a, is the Founder of TAP Africa, which supports young people, mainly girls in rural Kenya, to acquire tech skills unlocking limitless opportunities for education and economic advancement..

Im ages: Par t icipan t s at t en din g Tap Af r ica's Digit ial Lit er acy Pr ogr am DLEEP.

Th e Decade of th e Dark Web

By Sabin M u zaf f ar

Mankind has immensely benefitted from the digital revolution. With development and progress made through disruptive technologies, life has not only become one that is full of convenience, comfort and ease; it has also brought innovative ways to help humanity. But with every pro there has been a con.

The ICTs possess immense power that can used for a lot of good or manipulated to cause much harm. While its enormous potential is being harnessed to develop new ways to improve lives and for sustainable development, a new and yet another lethal form of violence has emerged. It is dark and virtual!

Over the past one decade, violence against the vulnerable ? especially women and children ? has increased thanks to digital technology. Online bullying, digital blackmail and games like Blue Whale have been continuously exploiting thousands unaware of their rights or too scared to go to the police.

Navigat in g Rou gh Tides?

Termed as the suicide game targeting teenagers, Blue Whale was actually the case of reputation exceeding truth and reality. It all started in 2015 when a Russian teenager, Rina Palenkova, posted a selfie with a black scarf wrapped around her mouth and nose and sticking her middle finger up at the camera which was covered with dried blood. The image?s captioned read ?Nya Bye? and the girl committed suicide the very next day of the post. The story got huge buzz specifically in Russia?s largest social network VKontakte where discussions were seeped in rumors, what ifs and concoctions of wild imaginations, blurring reality. In a BBC report, Daria Radchenko, a senior researcher at the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration who has looked into the so-called Blue Whale challenge revealed: "Nobody actually knew the true story behind her suicide.?

M or e Th an Class Bu llies Before the emergence of social networks, bullying was an institutional phenomenon. It took a turn for the worse when the likes of Facebook (open for masses 2004), Twitter (2006), Instagram (2010) emerged in the virtual world map with eager wanna-be?s, self-proclaimed digital messiahs or sheer vile villainy began naming and blaming friends and foes alike. What was first restricted to face-to-face altercations and interactions, took an

entirely new dimension in the age of disruption by spreading dangerous and unbridled virulence over the Internet through ? ironically ? the Internet of things.

Cellphones to tablets, smart technology metamorphosed into weapons of mass destruction in the hands of the uninhibited, trigger-happy inhabitants of the World Wide Web. Many a chat room became a red light area of gossip mongering and victim-shaming even leading to numerous teenage deaths.

Digit izin g Her d M en t alit y Indeed, it is not untrue to say that social media has played a pivotal role in creating celebrity out of the ordinary through the notion of virality. It has also played a catalyzing role in mass demonizing vulnerable individuals and/or groups ? an epic example of herd mentality at its best!

Th e In t er n et - An Un br idle Dar k Hor se Online interference is not just limited to the younger generations of our time, its debilitating powers spills across all age groups, regions and even governments. It is a potent venom that affects not just the reticent pariahs of society or those considered vulnerable, but also loved celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence and many more. The

affected could be anyone from the kid next door to large corporations and governments, cases in point: the Sony hack and the ?alleged?!? infiltration of Russia in the US elections.

In hindsight, this was also the decade which saw whistleblowers unravel governments? agenda on privacy and individual safety. The year 2010 ushered a new decade where disruptive technologies were developed and growth leapfrogged but at the same time, huge pockets of our parallel reality became darker, more ominous. While governments and other stakeholders grappled to adapt, forces sinister emerged and magnified quickly and surprisingly more seamlessly.

It was actually in the late 1990s that ? according to an IMF blog ? two research organizations in the US Department of Defense drove efforts to develop an anonymous and encrypted network protecting sensitive communications of US spies. A network unknown to ordinary Internet surfers, the orgininal clandestine intention was apparently never fully realized. When TOR ? The Onion Router ? emerged, its freely downloadable browser enabled digital denizens radical anonymity who could easily live on the fringe of the Intenet. TOR, therefore, serves as the underlying technology of the dark web.

The IMF blog further reveals: ?The truth about the dark web is that in addition to offering extreme privacy and protection from the surveillance of authoritarian governments, it facilitates a growing underground marketplace that sophisticated criminals use to traffic drugs, stolen identities, and other illicit products and services. And with untraceable cryptocurrency as the primary means of payment, close cooperation between law enforcement, financial institutions, and regulators around the world is required to tighten the screws on nefarious activity.?

The situation certainly looks dire. But hope, nonetheless, springs eternal. When Pakistani Internet sensation Qandeel Baloch became the victim of honor killing ? it was the massive, global outpouring of outrage that led to positive judicial and legal decisions. Hashtags like #MeToo ushered in an era where perpetrators finally found no reprieve.

New, smart gadgets and technologies are fast being developed to help save lives from different forms of cyber violence.

From women?s health information-providing bots like Raaji by Aurat Raaj, platforms like Safecity that crowdsource personal stories of harassment and abuse in public spaces (launched in 2012), apps such as Sahaas by the Red Elephant Foundation offering a directory of support across 196 countries, a database of guidance notes on understanding gender-based violence and ways to respond to them; to jewelries and accessories that save women?s lives harnessing the power of communities and built-in panic buttons that trigger alarm and send alerts; created by social good organizations like Kwema ? efforts are being made and the pace is gaining momentum. What these initiatives really require to prevent them from being futile is community effort as well as all stakeholders ? individuals, policymakers, private and public sectors ? synchronously working together. The pace of effort and public-private sectors collaboration to curb online victimization, doesn?t just need to match that causing harm namely, patrons of the dark web; the need of the hour is to go above and beyond. The question now as we welcome a brand new decade is what is stopping us from triggering positive development?

Deep and Dark Web 2020 gl obal th reat l andscape

By An n a Ch u n g, Pr in cipal Resear ch er at Un it 42, Pal o Al to Networ k s

devices, beyond IoT botnets and IoT-based VPNs, due to the uncapped profit potential.

IoT devices remain a popular target among hackers, mostly because IoT security awareness and education is not as prevalent as it should be, and the number of IoT devices will continue to grow at an exponential rate as 5G develops and becomes mainstream.

We?re continuing to see instances where the failure to configure containers properly is leading to the loss of sensitive information and as a result, default configurations are posing significant security risks to organisations.

Misconfigurations, such as using default container names and leaving default service ports exposed to the public, leave organisations vulnerable to targeted reconnaissance. The implications can vary greatly, as we?ve already seen simple misconfigurations within cloud services lead to severe impacts on organisations.

When a company is beginning to address or prepare for these types of attacks, it?s important they never expose a Docker daemon to the internet without a proper authentication mechanism. Note that by default the Docker Engine (CE) is not exposed to the internet.

Key recommendations include: ? Incorporate Unix sockets ? Using these allow you to communicate with Docker daemon locally or use SSH to connect to a

Within the Deep and Dark Web, ransomware attacks are expected to continue in 2020. This year, my team and I came across an increasing number of threat actors selling ransomware, ransomware-as-a-service, and ransomware tutorials. Underground products and services like these enable malicious threat actors who are not technically savvy to enter the game.

Threat actors will continue exploring new methods to monetise compromised IoT

An n a Ch u n g

remote docker daemon. ? Leverage the firewall ? Whitelist incoming traffic to a small sets of sources against firewall rules to provide an extra added layer of security. ? Caution against the unknown ? Never pull Docker images from unknown registries or unknown user namespaces. ? Employ always-on searches ? Frequently check for any unknown containers or images in your system. ?

Identify malicious containers and prevent cryptojacking activities ? When a new vulnerability in the internal container environments is revealed, it is critical to patch it up quickly as attackers will be on a race to exploit any systems they can access. Having tools that actively scan your environment for known vulnerabilities and provide alerts on dangerous configurations can help to maintain the security of all container components consistently and over time. ? Integrate security into DevOps workflows ? This will allow for your security teams to scale their efforts in an automated way. Developers have a lot of power in the cloud, and your security needs to be able to keep up. ?

Maintain runtime protection ? As your organisation?s cloud footprint grows, being able to automatically model and whitelist application behavior becomes a powerful tool for securing cloud workloads against attacks and compromises.

Many data breaches today are driven by financially motivated cyber threat actors, and this type of attack prefers targets that have rich personal identifiable information (PII), including financial institutes, hospitals, hotels, airlines, and almost all e-commerce sites.

From an underground economic perspective, this is data that can be quickly monetised and resold multiple times. Different data has different buyers, but overall speaking in regard to PII, payment information is preferred due to the card-not-present type of fraud. Therefore, sites that process and collect individual payment information typically are more attractive to attackers in this instance.

While we have seen a certain amount of cyber-offensive behavior using AI, such as identity impersonation by using deep faking, we are still in the

very early stages of seeing the full potential of AI-enabled attacks. On the flipside, we are seeing an increase in cyber defenders using AI to detect and mitigate threats.

Businesses and CSOs should prioritise security awareness training for all employees, going beyond just explaining how cyber-attacks occur and how they may impact an organisation as a whole, but educating their workforce at individual level on proactive steps they can take to identify and prevent security attacks. Simple exercises like issuing phishing email detection tests or software update reminders, help raise security awareness among employees to make for more secure daily operations and help reduce the success rate of attacks.

One of the major security challenges facing today?s digital age is the fact that there are too many devices and security policies in place, making it difficult to monitor and maintain. Prioritising highly-automated security solutions that cover multiple environments will increase visibility and control over the entire operational environment by simplifying the management process, reducing costs and freeing up more time to identify the existing pain points and future roadmaps.

Di gi tal Tr ansf or mat

ion

2020 and Beyond

By Lori MacVittie, Principal Technical Evangelist, Officeof theCTOat F5 Networks

Every definition of transformation includes the notion of change. The most common examples are found in nature, in the process of change from caterpillar to butterfly and tadpole to frog.

Ultimately transformation is the process of moving from one state to another.

Processes are often expressed in terms of phases of varying lengths during which critical events occur. Digital transformation is no exception.

It begins with an initiative. A decision to move from a mostly manual, human-driven business to one that relies heavily on technology. Applications. Automation. Artificial intelligence. From beginning to end, digital transformation is about moving technology from business interactions to processes to new models.

At first, it's about apps. But as app portfolios expand, it turns to focus on automation and orchestration. With the increase in data generation, transformation becomes the pivot point for

Lori MacVittie new business opportunities.

Just about every organization is the process of transformation today as they forge a new, digital path to future success.

This transformation is not just about technology. It is rooted in a fundamental shift in the way business operates. Not unlike the shift from CapEx to OpEx induced by the rapid ascent of cloud computing, this transformation is forcing organizations to reshape its business models.

The result is pushing technology (IT) out of the role of supporting the business into a lead role as a business. Software? which includes apps? directly contributed $845 billion to the US GDP in 2018 according to the BSA Foundation. In the EU, software contributed ?304 billion. Total value added to global GDP is much higher and counts both indirect revenue as well as job creation. Every sector, every industry now relies on applications in one form or another.

That includes businesses that produce consumable goods. Consider the impact on a restaurant of not integrating with OpenTable. Or the reliance on IoT and the applications powering 'smart farms' that optimize agriculture so they can feed the people of the world. Even these industries increasingly rely on applications to operate their businesses.

Th e App Econ om y Preliminary data from our forthcoming State of Application Services 2020 indicates most businesses rely on applications. 31% tell us they need apps and downtime is disruptive to their business. Another 29% indicate applications are their business and they can't operate without them.

Early adopters of digital transformation are already entering a period of digital expansion, marked by rapid adoption of automation and expansion of their app portfolios. For these organizations, streamlining the operational

aspects of application delivery is critical. The ability to rapidly develop a new application or digital workflow must be matched during delivery to market. The speed and scale of this operational lifecycle increase with every application developed. The ability of IT to meet demand can only be realized through the adoption of automation, which enables organizations to develop and deploy even more applications.

Th e Dat a Econ om y Each iteration of this cycle generates more data. Business unification provider Domo reports that over 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created every single day and that by 2020 "1.7MB of data will be created ever second for every person on earth." That is a mind-boggling amount of data that is ushering in the data economy as applications collect and aggregate every minute detail of digital activity? from operations to business transactions to consumer interactions.

Traditional data analysis techniques will be unable to keep up. Systems and the people who rely on data to make operational and business decisions daily will be overwhelmed.

A new breed of analytics will rise as a result and take on the burden of analyzing the massive rate and high volume of data being produced. Only machines and advanced machine learning technologies will be capable of ingesting and processing the amount of data that will be created.

Th e AI Econ om y Ultimately, the insights produced by analytics will be as overwhelming as that of the data from which they were produced. Operators will not be able act fast enough to take advantage of the insights produced. This will lead to the AI Economy, in which AI-assisted business and operations will take on responsibility for operating the applications on which business runs. This economic shift will not be trivial. According to McKinsey, "AI has the potential to deliver additional global economic activity of around $13 trillion by 2030, or about 16 percent higher cumulative GDP compared with today." It's no surprise then to find that as early as 2018, 71% of C-level executives were already eyeing AI as a path for economic growth and competitiveness (2018 Views from the C-Suite: Rising to the Challenge).

This view of AI is not merely aspirational. 74% of IT decision makers in Spiceworks' 2020 State of IT expected to adopt AI as early as 2021. The same survey found that AI is second (32%) only to IT automation (42%) as the technology expected to have the biggest impact on business.

Th e Role of Applicat ion Ser vices There is virtually no business today that is not on this transformational journey. Some are just starting. Others are further along. Regardless of where you are, applications are key to moving forward? whether slow and steady or full steam ahead. Delivering those applications is the purview of application services. From code to customer, applications services scale, secure, and serve the applications that power business today.

They will still be filling that role in five years.

But just as application architectures and operating models are transforming to meet the needs of applications and business, so must application services. That's why we believe digital transformation will also breed a new generation of application services that are more aware, more automated, and more capable of acting on insights produced by advanced analytics.

Kaarvan Crafting Livelihood For the Pakistani W oman

Kaarvan Crafts Foundation was established in 2004 as a Not-for-Profit company registered under Section 32 and licensed under Section 42 of Companies Ordinance, 1984 Pakistan. Since then, it has successfully carried out diverse projects in remote villages in the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Active since 2004, the organization has a twofold objective - one, the preservation and promotion of local craft and secondly, the empowerment of rural women by training them to be digitally aware and active via smartphones and apps so that they become micro entrepreneurs without experiencing exploitation at the hands of middle management.

To date, Kaarvan has mobilised 24,000 women in a 1,000 villages across Pakistan and has been consistently conducting programs at the grassroots level in partnership with international donor organisations.

It all started when in 2004, a small group of dedicated professionals came together with a singular idea of gender responsibility and economic participation as a social enterprise. And thus began a journey where the organization envisioned to play a meaningful role in enabling women in Pakistan to exercise their basic human rights not just in terms of pushing for policy changes; but also working on the ground to bring about substantive change. This was accomplished through a series of groundbreaking initiatives.

Tracing the organization?s major milestones, it was in 2008, the Pathways and Purse-strings project began with the aim to enable 8000 rural women with skills and market knowledge to sell their products in urban markets. In 2012, Kaarvan set out to reach the marginalized with the HomeNet South Asia Outreach, an initiative in the rural districts of Bahawalpur and Lodhran, in the province of Punjab.

The program consisted of training women in the skills of specialized embroidery, product planning and leadership. As many as 1500 women were trained in market skills and 60 were linked to the market in 2013. The organization also established skill development centers in two districts, 225

villages with 225 trainers. With many feathers in their cap, 2019 saw Kaarvan getting a well-deserved recognition from the World Summit on Information Society Prizes (WSIS). It was nominated for the 'Digitally Decentralised Rural Economy,?one of its flagship programs enabling artisan through digital literacy. In partnership with the British Asian Trust and DFID, Kaarvan?s Women's Economic Empowerment program provides artisans with training in entrepreneurship and small business management; encouraging them to become micro-entrepreneurs and tech-savvy. This has also resulted in the creation of a digital e-commerce site where Kaarvan?s artisans can apply their digital skills and earn. As per a research conducted by the organization, once economically strong, 51% of Kaarvan?s artisans reinvest in their children giving them a better quality of life.

Under the leadership of CEO Danish Jabbar Khan, Kaarvan has also been actively engaged with human rights lawyers including Razia Monnoo, Shahbano Masud and Mahnoor Awan by conducting Awareness Workshops since 2018.

Wrapping up 2019 and keeping the tradition alive, the organization celebrated Human Rights Day at the Kaarvan Waniawala Center in Gujranwala city in the province of Punjab on December 10th . Interactive activities focused on dialogue around societal

stereotypes and how they hinder progress and prevent women from executing their rights. The underlying message was to become a 'listener ' and accept differing perspectives with the change in thinking shifting from 'wanting to BE right' to 'wanting to GET it right'.

To visit: www.facebook.com/kaarvancraftsfoundation and www.instagram.com/kaarvancraftsfoundation https://kaarvan.com

K HUDI Spear h eadin g In cl u sive En tr epr en eu r sh ip in Pak istan

Entrepreneurship has become one of the lifelines of global economies. This is also a segment where innovation AND inclusion can play a key role to trigger sustainability. Hence it is worrisome to note that Pakistan has the world?s lowest rate of women?s entrepreneurship with only one percent female compared to 21 percent of male entrepreneurs, says a recent World Bank report. As a result of this conundrum, women face three major challenges, job creation, access to jobs and economic activities, which inevitably lead to a devastating loss of their financial autonomy and mobility.

Keeping in view, this dire state of affairs, a groundbreaking initiative ? KHUDI ? was launched in 2019 by the Promotion of Education in Pakistan (PEP) Foundation, Inc. in collaboration with the US State Department which aims to economically empower female university students and provide growth opportunities for women led SMEs. A six month-long Women?s Entrepreneurship project, Khudi envisions to close the country?s gender gap in entrepreneurship with a more system-based and long term approach.

The PEP Foundation has created a women focused, university based entrepreneurship program (KHUDI) that leverages the combined power of these partners and is designed with the principles of systems thinking and long term sustainability and integration of women?s entrepreneurship into the existing national University system. Khudi serves as an incubator, capacity building program that helps build support mechanisms catering to the unique needs of women entrepreneurs.

The Khudi Program offers six months of technical support to individual incubator teams to co-create and implement a long-lasting and impactful women?s

entrepreneurship program.

Critical areas that this program works on include: -

Increasing the ratio of women entrepreneurs at incubators - Supporting women led SMEs to integrate into existing supply chains.

Th e Case In cu bat ion :

f or

Fem ale-Focu sed

No concrete data exists on the participation of women entrepreneurs across all the incubators in Pakistan.

However, very few incubators specifically target women entrepreneurs as their primary clients, despite documented evidence that women often face different challenges from their male counterparts in an entrepreneurial setting. In addition, although research on women?s performance in business incubation is highly limited, some international literature does suggest that business incubation may have greater benefits for women than for men. Khudi?s field work confirms suggestions in academic literature that women entrepreneurs face challenges different from those faced by their male counterparts, and that the current incubator landscape does not ideally serve many women entrepreneurs.

The most frequently mentioned challenges for women entrepreneurs include: Fam ily r espon sibilit ies: Women regularly mention the need to balance entrepreneurial ambitions with family responsibilities, including caring for children and elderly parents, in short care-work. This challenge makes make it difficult for women to attend entrepreneurship events, enroll in

incubation programs, or relocate their business to an incubator facility.

Lack of r ole m odels: Women working in technology and science fields are particularly adamant about the challenge women face in not having a large pool of female role models, who can share insights from their own entrepreneurial experience.

Th e con f iden ce gap: Women?s lower self-confidence relative to men is also a common theme. Women are less prone to talk about themselves, especially when pitching to potential investors.

Women?s hesitation, inability, or lack of desire to ?brag?about themselves leaves investors questioning their skill in leading a team and their ability to yield big returns.

Risk aver sion an d per f ect ion ism are also traits that are more common among women entrepreneurs than among their male counterparts. Studies suggest that women are more reserved in sharing their business ideas, and less willing to take risks in starting and growing their businesses.

A ?perfectionist ideal? makes it difficult for some women entrepreneurs to speak about their product or service before they deem it to be perfect (Mara Lewis, Upstart).

The Khudi program facilitates partner incubators in adopting the following best practices in their incubation program.

(1) Bu ildin g Con f iden ce The incubator manager is cognizant of confidence challenges faced by women, and during check-ins with entrepreneurs, facilitates discussions about confidence. This is especially important as entrepreneurs are preparing to meet with clients,

investors, and other communities in which female entrepreneurs may be a severe minority.

(2) M en t or in g Provides a strong mentoring network, with a high concentration of experienced women entrepreneurs who can mentor new entrepreneurs not only on business basics, but also on navigating the challenges of being female in a primarily male-dominated entrepreneurial and investment community. During the program Khudi, the PEP Foundation also shares design of a customized mentorship plan with the incubators, that not only helps women, but all incubatees in that incubator.

(3) Pr ovidin g Flexible Pr ogr am m in g Facilitates flexible participation models, so that women entrepreneurs are able to both fulfill family responsibilities and invest time in their business. To make it easier for women to work out of the incubator ?s space, the Khudi team hosts workshops and networking events at times that accommodate the needs of participating women entrepreneurs.

Interview data suggest that partnerships with childcare facilities or on-site childcare may also increase women?s ability to participate in incubation programs.

(4) Pr ovidin g M ech an ism s

Ot h er

Su ppor t

This includes services, such as childcare and transport services, two key issues highlighted by women entrepreneurs.

Khudi Work Plan: The detailed work plan for the entire duration of the program (six months that started from October 2019) has been developed in collaboration with incubation managers during the

Regional Co- Creation sessions.

This ensures that the work plan takes into account the current workload of these incubation managers. The Regional Co-Creation sessions also map individual needs of each incubator and develop a support plan accordingly.

The work plan includes the following milestones: -

-

-

-

Designing and conducting outreach events to bring more female students towards entrepreneurship Designing a mentorship program and connecting with women mentors and role models Sensitizing the university administration to the specific needs of women entrepreneurs Building linkages with support organizations Conducting training sessions for women-led SME?s

Khudi?s team of trailblazers include: Sh ah ida Saleem , a TED Fellow, is a highly experienced, award-winning serial entrepreneur with over 30 years of international business and management experience. She has co-founded and managed seven companies, including three social enterprises and understands intimately, the process of taking ideas to market and to scale. She is an internationally recognized professional expert in building sustainable social development programs using private sector partners and emerging technologies. Her areas of special interest are Education, Health and Economic Empowerment. She is also the Team Lead for the hudi Program.

Dr . Kh alid Iqbal is a Professor of

Entrepreneurship has become one of the lifelines of global economies. This is also a segment where innovation AND inclusion can play a key role to trigger sustainability.

Neurochemistry and the Chairman of Neurochemistry at the New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities. Alzheimer ?s research has been Dr. Khalid Iqbal?s lifelong passion. In 1974, he was the first scientist to describe the effects that Alzheimer ?s disease had on the brain, and his current work focuses on the neurobiology of Alzheimer ?s and other related disorders. For his pioneering contributions, he has received numerous awards including the Potamkin Prize for Alzheimer Disease research from the American Academy of Neurology, and the Zenith Award from the Alzheimer ?s Association. In 2007, the Alzheimer ?s Association established the Khalid Iqbal Lifetime Achievement Award for Alzheimer ?s disease research.

Far ih a An w ar has been a part of the startup ecosystem of Pakistan for more than three years. She served as the Incubation Manager at Social Innovation Lab. Fariha also conducted a startup ecosystem landscape study that surveyed 200 startups, 22 incubators, 7 investors and 42 industry experts from all across Pakistan. Based on this extensive research, she co-authored a book titled, ?Beyond the Buzz: A Deep Dive into Pakistan?s Startup Ecosystem?, published by Social Innovation Lab. She is currently the Program Manager at Impact Network, which is a formal collaboration between incubators, investors, universities, public sector and donor agencies. In this current role, Fariha is bringing together key players of the ecosystem to stimulate, support and scale critical social innovations. She also developed the curriculum and incubation program guide for the Khudi Program. Fariha is the Person of Contact for the Khudi Program.

Sidr a Jalil is a Community Builder, a tech graduate with strong expertise in the domain of Marketing, Research and Communication. She has been working in the industry primarily with Technology and Social Sector for over 13 years in a diverse domain and last 8 years particularly with Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Pakistan both as an Entrepreneur and Intrapreneur.

She has worked with Code for Pakistan and is also the first and only female Ambassador of AngelHack in Pakistan. She is a blogger, internet marketer, motivational speaker and a socially active person with a keen interest in community work. Sidra is also the Regional Lead Instructor for Islamabad and KPK regions M ar ia Um er is the founder and president of Women?s Digital League (WDL) - an online platform that started with provides digital training and work to Pakistani women and is now passionately advocating for greater inclusion for women at the decision-making table, and encouraging self-employment via micro entrepreneurship.

She successfully implemented the first Digital Livelihood training project funded by World Bank in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP) to teach women how to ?e-lance?. Maria was nominated a Thought Leader by Ashoka Changemakers.

WDL also won the Early Stage Award in Changemakers' "Women Powering Work" competition. She is also a trainer for Facebook?s #SheMeansBusiness training program which focuses on micro women-owned businesses using Facebook as their selling and marketing point. In addition she was selected as a Community Leader under the Facebook Community Leadership Circles Program. Maria is the Regional Lead Instructor for the Punjab region.

Nadia Pat el Gan gjee is a therapeutic tutor and marketer turned entrepreneur.

She is the founder of Femprow and Sheops - two initiatives that support and guide women entrepreneurs. Her aim is to economically and professionally empower women and youth by providing them with relevant knowledge, skills and platforms for economic growth, to increase financial and digital inclusion in Pakistan. Her areas of expertise are Entrepreneurship, Professional Trainings, Technology, Community Leadership, Public Speaking, Marketing, Branding, Social Media Marketing. She is the Regional Lead Instructor for the Sindh region during the Khudi program.

San am Rajpu t is working in the field of the development sector from previous 11 years. She has been working with different reputable organizations in Pakistan and implemented more than two dozen projects in her professional career with different donor organization and has, thus, earned a good name for herself in the development sector. She is the Regional Lead Instructor for the Sindh region during the Khudi program.

Information provided by (Facebook : @Kh u dipr oject )

Kh u di

V VIIP P Nati National onal Campai Campaign gn to to end end Gender Gender Based Based V Viiol olence ence Wrapping up the year, the Violence Intervention & Prevention Working Group with the Ministry of Health began its national campaign for policy and law reform to end gender based violence in the Bahamas during the 16 days of Activism 2019 in November which starts on the 25th , the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

The Working Group facilitated a national workshop to educate a diverse group of Bahamians on conventions signed by their government as well as specific policies and laws that require reform to align the country with the global agenda to be able to meet its mandate of eliminating gender based violence by 2030.

The Ministry of Health has specific policies that require reform to provide girls and young people access to healthcare. The country currently requires children/minors under the age of 18 years to be accompanied by an adult to seek healthcare even though the age of sexual consent is 16 years.

This specific policy desensitizes healthcare professionals to the needs of at-risk young people who are then subject to discriminatory practices and/or programs after disenfranchisement which further deteriorates the well being of these individuals.

While the Working Group has faced backlash for encouraging what societal norms may deem as slack and immoral behaviour, the group feels that giving back freedom to young people not only enables them to make informed

decisions about their bodies, this also increases their personal responsibility and sexual accountability. The national campaign also included a religious element, where Pastor Wildred Adderley partnered with the group to coordinate a night of prayer and reflection.

The event was a time of remembrance for those who lost their lives to violence and a call to pray for the eradication of violence and abuse. The Working Group also took the opportunity to partner with Zonta Bahamas during its 16 Days of Activism to support the mission to end gender based violence against women and say, no to violence.

The Group also drafted a position paper to be the basis of the charge to make the minister of health, health administrative management as well as healthcare professionals aware and more accountable. The paper focused on how to provide proper methods of well being and preventative care to potential and existing victims as well as survivors of violence. On Monday, December 16th , 2019, a ?march to freedom?took place where advocates and representatives of non-governmental initiatives marched, in solidarity, for policy reforms and to urge the minister for law reformation. During the event, the Group further highlighted the underlying issues that trigger gender based violence. Speaking to the media during the Walk to Freedom, a senior doctor working for the Ministry of Health Dr. Calae Philippe remarked how knowing these underlying

indicators could be the key leading to the elimination of gender based violence. ?The key indicators are just the beginning of being able to establish a gender based health help desk or unit to properly train healthcare professionals who can then be able to give referrals as needed in the local clinics,' stated, Rochelle R. Dean who developed key indicators for the Working Group.

"The reality is that there are laws that do not protect girls against gender based violence specifically rape or unlawful sex. There are loopholes and laws to protect the perpetrator. While there is a need to collectively seek these legislative reforms, I think that Working Groups?focus on having proper and quality care for survivors is the key to a civil society,? said Ms. Dean.

Women's United, another local women's association, led by co-chair Brenda Harris-Pinder also pledged support to the Working Group Sharon Martin, President of the Women's Association of the National Congress of Trade Unions and other noteworthy organizations participated in the event.

Di srupti ng Heal th Tech Ananke?sintern Ziqi Xu writesabout women?s participation in thehealth tech sector.

Ananke?s intern Ziqi Xu writes about women?s participation in the health tech sector.It is an era where women make up approximately half the national workforce, and gain more graduate degrees even than men. According to a report which focuses on the situation of women in STEM: ?In the European Union (EU-28), women accounted for slightly over half, to be exact, 53.3% of tertiary education graduates in the natural sciences and mathematics and statistics in 2016. Yet the gender stereotypes in science area still exist.

Gender gap still remains especially wide in some fields, and men continue to dominate the high technology workforce in many countries. Statistics show that in 2017, women in the United States accounted for less than 20% of those employed in some science relative positions. Even among those women, who are participating in the

Source: Frost & Sullivan report

high-tech fields, are paid an estimated 80% of men? annual median earnings. In the health-tech area, the visible difficulties are similar with the other scientific subjects, however many spectacular women did breakthrough achievements in the past few years under such pressure.

Health technology is defined by the World Health Organization as the ?application of organized knowledge and skills in the form of devices, medicines, vaccines, procedures and systems developed to solve a health problem and improve quality of lives?. Cases are not rare that female scientists bring efforts to do hard work in enhancing the current situation.

Tu Youyou, the first Chinese woman who won Nobel Prize, is also the first Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine 2015 in China. She was given this supreme glory for the discovery of artemisinin, a drug therapy for malaria that has saved millions of lives across the globe, especially in the developing world. Starting from the late 1950s, the WHO embarked on an ambitious project to eradicate malaria, however few success was gained.

Tu and her team showed unbelievable persistence and bravery in conducting the research program which lasted for around 50 years, meanwhile surmounting the obstacles of the equipment and funds. She did fabulous job as a female scientist that many men can?t do.

Recently, a website released a list of Top 100 Women in Fem Tech and Health Tech. 100 outstanding women using their way to make the revolution of the health industry and to make the world better. Among them, there are co-founders of startups such as those revolutionizing birth control experiences by creating the first ever smart Pill sleeve; leaders of such companies offering, personalized health solutions including wearables and self-tracking, trailblazers who have launched personalized digital interventions, health coaching and virtual care etc. From the digital wearable device to the artificial intelligent related apps or services, they are involved in every aspect of the industry and have groundbreaking achievements to their names.

Although women turn up in large numbers in workforce and also constitute more than half of the population in many countries, yet they are visibly absent in senior positions in organizations. Analysis shows that factors such as level of education, type of place of residence, marital status, religion, region of residence and age groups, with different levels of magnitude contribute differently to their participation.

Why It's Crucial to Get More Women Into Science? For one thing, women have the basic rights to enjoy equal treatment that men receive. For another thing, women have suffered disproportionately more discrimination or difficulties compared to men. Long term prosperity and sustainable development on a global scale will be a distant notion till half of the population are actively included in the conversation and sit side by side with other stakeholders at the decision making table.

Th e Rise of Wom en in Pow er

By Sabin M u zaf f ar

Time bears witness how women have effectively participated in the socio-political and legal activities within countries and beyond. Be it the Iron Ladies of Europe, Middle East or the Sub-continent, these women have left indelible marks on the sands of time. These examples of women including ? Pakistan?s trailblazer Benazir Bhutto, India?s visionary Indra Gandhi, or the stately Margaret Thatcher ? are immensely commendable; they are only but a few in the global political arena.

While women have made great strides as far as political leadership is concerned, occasionally it has been a case of one step forward and two steps back. That said, it is encouraging to note the likes of Jacinda Ardern, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sanna Marin and Joyce Banda etc. have shattered the political glass ceilings and are overcoming gender-related obstacles coming their way.

A UN Women report reveals that only 24.3 percent of all national parlimentarians were women as of Februrary 2019 which was a slow increase from 11.3 percent in 1995 ? but an increase nonetheless. While the UN Women suggests that 11 women are serving as heads of government as of June 2019, Wikipedia reports an increase as 29 countries boasts women in power serving their nations as of November 2019.

The past one decade has seen women?s participation expand in politics with growing evidence of their rise in decision-making powers. Rwanda, Cuba and Bolivia have more women in Parliament in single or lower houses with 61.3 percent, 53.2 percent and 53.1 percent respectively. Aligned with the Beijing Declaration with a target to achieve gender balance in political activity, only three countries (mentioned) have 50 percent or more women in parliament. A greater number of countries now boast 30 percent or more women in political leadership positions including 22 states in Europe, 12 in Sub Saharan Africa and 12 in Latin America.

The political terrain in any region of the world is difficult to navigate and when gender factors in, it becomes rougher. And what with the rise of Mis- AND Dis- information as well as politicized cyber war over the past 10 years, the vitriol spewed is not just hard to contain, it is harder still to convince people to discern truth in this age of disinformation.

Hillary Clinton was called a ?nasty woman?during live broadcast by a presidential hopeful (at that time), a US Congresswoman, Ilhan Omar, was labelled a fraud who said she even received death threats after tweets by the US President Donald Trump.

Qualified African women in politicshave not only been

propositioned by their male counterparts (as have been others), images have been doctored as part of smear campaigns and the harassment goes even beyond to harrowing extents. Again this is not restricted to one continent but happens globally and affects women disproportionately.

While numbers have been slowing rising, it was Canadian Prime Minister ?s succinct retort to a reporter asking about his half-female cabinet, ?Because it?s 2015? ? that lead to crystalize the importance of gender equality and parity. PM Trudeau?s cabinet currently includes 18 women and 18 men. A recent report by Catalyst reveals: ?As of 2019, women occupy 126 (23.6%) of the 535 seats in the United States Congress (105 Democratic, 21 Republican). In 2016, Hillary Rodham Clinton was the first woman nominated by a major party for President of the United States. Of the 126 women members of Congress, 47 (37.3%) are women of color.

Ushering the new decade, Malwai made headlines in 2009 when the 50-50 Campaign Network in Malawi was launched. The initiative aimed at ensuring female representation in leadership and decision-making positions. While the 2014 Malawian elections actually saw a significant drop in the number of women elected; the ministry of gender, disabilities and

social welfare, officially relaunched the campaign in 2018 ahead of the country?s 2019 elections. The May 2019 elections saw a big win, according to gender experts, for women which saw female candidates increase their share of parliamentary seats from 16 t0 23 percent.

The Catalyst report also reveals countries ranked by women?s representation in national legislatures or parliaments: -

Rwanda = 1 Cuba = 2 Australia = 47 Canada = 61 United States = 77 India = 144 Japan = 164 The rest of the top ten include (in the order of their ranking): Bolivia, Andorra, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Grenada, and Namibia

Women?s participation in politics and that too in leadership roles is critical not just to attain parity. It is for that and more. Gender experts unanimously agree that no society will be able to achieve equality, participatory, transparent and accountable democracy if the balance of power tilts in favor or men or one segment of the population. A female voice at the table in representative of women who make up half of the population of the world and for socio-economic and political development ? it is the way forward, that right route to positive change in society. A change that can potentially be rights-based, fair and offer balance.

Women?sparticipationinpoliticsandthat tooinleadership rolesiscritical not just toattainparity. It isfor that andmore.

Gender expertsunanimouslyagreethat nosocietywill beable toachieveequality,participatory,transparent andaccountable democracyif thebalanceof power tiltsinfavor or menor one segment of thepopulation.

A s of December 2019, l i st of w omen h eads of gov ernments around th e w orl d

Jacinda Ardern

Prime Minister

New Zealand

Bidhya Devi Bhandari

President

Nepal

Brigitte Bierlein

Chancellor

Austria

Ana Brnabi?

Prime Minister

Serbia

Zuzana ?aputová

President

Slovakia

Mette Frederiksen

Prime Minister

Denmark

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic

President

Croatia

Sheikh Hasina

Prime Minister

Bangladesh

Hilda Heine

President

Marshall Islands

Tsai Ing-wen

President

Taiwan

Katrín Jakobsdóttir

Prime Minister

Iceland

Kersti Kaljulaid

President

Estonia

Sanna Marin

Prime Minister

Finland

Angela Merkel

Chancellor

Germany

Mia Mottley

Prime Minister

Barbados

Erna Solberg

Prime Minister

Norway

Paula-Mae Weekes

President

Trinidad and Tobago

Sophie Wilmès

Prime Minister

Belgium

Halimah Yacob

President

Singapore

Sahle-Work Zewde

President

Ethiopia

Salome Zurabishvili

President

Georgia