Women's History Month provides a unique opportunity to examine women's access to critical sectors including economic sectors, education and health. It also allows us to examine women's role, not just as beneficiaries or users of these sectors but as agents of change. For Women's History Month, as part of the Ministry of Health in Antigua, I completed and published the attached article on Women and the State of Public Health. The article includes the success of Antigua and Barbuda Cervical Screening Programme done through collaboration with the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO), the state of public health services specifically designed for women as well as the growing number of women in leadership positions within the healthcare space.

Happy Women's Month. I am extremely grateful to the individuals who have created this space for us all to share our various experiences

Conversations and narratives around gender equality in sustainability, including chemical and waste management, often remain entrenched in modern-day colonial dynamics and structures of programming, policies, and practices.

There has been a concerted effort to disrupt this framing in recent years. This is of course led by grassroots and local groups in marginalized countries and communities, with increasing support and action by international development partners and NGOs, who often are the perpetrators of the framing. Even if no longer explicit, this opinion piece makes clear implicit bias continues to exist limiting the very support, resources and resilience needed to overcome barriers in sustainability, resource efficiency, and women’s rights and equality.

This is critical from global to local levels, with equitable and just stakeholder engagement key in this regard. Having local entities in programs leading planning and action that supports solutions co-created on the ground, based on the lived experiences of vulnerable populations (or at least in proximity), moves away from reiterating stereotypes and malpractices in our communities…both online and with our stakeholders on the ground. This is ISLANDS intent through our communities here on the Green Forum, and supporting diverse stakeholder engagement throughout planning and implementation processes.

Are there stakeholders you think we need to have participating and can invite to this group to ensure we are co-creating opportunities for all in ISLANDS?

Read more about this in the opinion piece from the CEO of Women Deliver, a prominent international NGO focused on women’s rights, on how changing the narrative--as well as the programming--around environmental degradation should re-focus on the overconsumption of natural resources by high-income countries “as a lifestyle rather than a lifeline” to support equitable shifts for girls, women, and those bearing the brunt of the environmental crises around the globe.

The 2023 Commission on the Status of Women ended on Friday, calling for wide-ranging efforts to close the gap between men and women in today’s technology-driven world.

Sima Bahous, executive director of UN Women, said that "the digital divide has become the new face of gender inequality,” with 259 million more men than women online last year.

At ISLANDS, we are committed to use technology to bring change and support gender equality. We want this online community to become a safe space for women and other marginalised groups to connect, collaborate and find opportunities.

Also, there are still 6 days to go to submit your stories on how technology is helping women's empowerment in your country. Join the Call to Action!

Women in Vanuatu, on the largest island Santo, have been empowered with technical training to use digital tools for data collection and reporting on environmental disasters and the impacted community needs.

The Santo Sunset Women’s Environment Network (SSWEN), in 2022, trained more than 80 women from their community on how to collect information and file disaster reports digitally--they have plans to train another 80 this year.
The women are trained on an open-source data collection software that then transmits reports to centrally-located decision-makers to be able to respond adequately and effectively with the resources needed for survivors.

While this has been a programme focused on cyclone impact, the wide range of issues ISLANDS is focused on could utilize this tool, or something similar. Women and remote community stakeholders could be engaged and trained using digital tools and technological innovations, empowering them within their communities to track and report on issues of health and safety, and also progress.

As we prioritize knowledge sharing on promising practices: Do you know of any digital data collection and reporting tools for chemical and waste stream management we could bring into programming and train diverse stakeholders on? Please share links or examples with us!

Read the story and learn more on how this program was implemented.

March is halfway thru, as is our Campaign on Enhancing Gender Equality in SIDS' Technology and Innovation. You have likely been seeing more of our posts, and perhaps in your own communications and networks regarding the link with gender and digital access and equity.
There are a multitude of stories and initiatives ongoing that are inspiring and building momentum for equity in this space for women and girls. But we need to recognize and understand the persistent gaps and injustices that exist in access and use of digital innovations and technology across our countries, communities, cultures, and systems.

This UN Women publication makes tangible the linkages of gender and technology along with the risks of perpetuating gender inequalities if certain factors are not considered, and responsive approaches implemented. It focuses on three areas: education, work, and social/welfare services, identifying opportunities and risks, all of which overlap and can be magnified across our ISLANDS Programme areas of work. Check out what these issues are, and consider how they intersect with your work.

Share how these issues have been evident in your experience--personal or professional--with us by responding to our Call to Action by March 26 (details above); or share any thoughts in the comments.

As we celebrate women's month this March and also the 'ISLANDS Call to Action on Gender Equality & Technology', active engagement of women in technology and science couldn't have been stressed more. The trend is very much present and relevant of course, within the environmental work - whether that'd be climate, conservation, pollution prevention, and so on.

This IUCN blog introduces stories of women around the world, leading and participating in efforts to accelerate our progress towards an environmentally sustainable future. They include Guatemalan women leading their Climate Change Gender Action Plan (ccGAP) and Peruvian women in NASA's Amazonian hub operations, utilising technical skills like the GIS programming and application, daily.

Scientific research based on STEM and digital literacy is at the heart of feeding correct factual information and analysis into our collective progress towards halting the planetary crisis. And yet, according to UNESCO, women make up 30-45% of scientific researchers around the world.

As we celebrate women's leadership, skills, and resilience this month, stories like this can all the more inspire SIDS communities and beyond, to materialise environmental action led by brilliant women in science and technology. What are your stories? Share your thoughts and experience for the 'ISLANDS Call to Action'!

ISLANDS Call to Action on Gender Equality & Technology:
https://thegreenforum.org/opportunities/islands-call-action-gender-equa…

Colleagues in the Asia Pacific region,
Development Asia has a recent newsletter available discussing all manner of solutions to share on enhancing gender equality in honor of Women's Month and this year's IWD theme: “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.”

One key issue discussed is whether digital finance can be the answer to increasing access to credit for women-owned small and medium-sized entities. As we consider ways to engage and increase women's entrepreneurship in ISLANDS, digital financing--which reduces cost and increases accessibility--can be the technological solutions (such as digital banking, mobile money, mobile point-of-sale devices, online lending, and online marketplaces) to close expand women in chemical and waste management processes and businesses across ISLANDS countries.

Are there innovative digital finance tools existing in your country or community available that we can build on to expand women's entrepreneurship, financing, and leadership? Let us know!

Article on digital finance access here: https://development.asia/insight/digital-finance-answer-giving-women-ow…

“A key part of sustainable waste management is establishing a grassroots understanding of the importance and the personal value of recycling and managing waste.”

We couldn’t agree more,Candis Marshall !

Candis, Founder and CEO of Cajouben and the non-profit Mega Mergers, is utilizing technology and online platforms to uplift women, girls, and youth in her community and across the globe through new ideas, tools, and online collaboration in recycling, education, and waste management.

In celebration of International Women's Day today we are sharing her response to our Call to Action on how technology has helped advance sustainable waste management and her business as an innovative woman entrepreneur.

Have you answered our Call to Action on Gender Equality yet? Find details for the Call on the Opportunities page in the Community.