Sex and Gender
Expanding the Women, Peace and Security agenda to the next frontier – space
The United Nations’ Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda reflects strong evidence that involving women in questions of peace and conflict leads to better stability. This…
Don’t reward the Taliban’s gender apartheid with recognition
Despite international condemnations and failed diplomatic engagement, the “Taliban 2.0” have deliberately instituted gender apartheid to optimise their political control in…
Beijing and the birth rate: a question of human rights for women
As China grapples with population decline, the pressure on women in China is only increasing. Under paramount leader Xi Jinping, women’s rights continue to deteriorate as the…
“Amplify their voice”: Promoting gender equity in Asia and the Pacific
Imagine the world of 2323, three centuries hence. A time when gender equity is finally achieved around the globe, according to the latest estimates of the current rate of progress…
Women and politics: a new world order
If we start the count in 1940, the world has had 133 female heads of state or government, with the number growing over recent years. A who’s who of game-changers – judged both on…
A new era of democracy for Fiji – but where are the women?
The most recent Fijian election, held in December 2022, was hailed as a milestone in the Pacific Island country’s democratic journey – yet this has come at a price, with the…
Is the tide turning on classroom bans for Afghan girls?
For more than 500 days, the daughters of Afghanistan have been the only girls in the world to be systematically denied access to higher education – again. Global apathy is now…
Valuing Asia’s women leaders
What do Nancy Pelosi and Jacinda Ardern have in common? Not much many would say. Yet upon Ardern’s resignation as New Zealand’s 40th Prime Minister and its third female leader …
Women leaders: not so poles apart
This past month, two progressive female political leaders – Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, and Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives – willingly…
Link start-ups ecosystems to build influence in Southeast Asia
In 2019, Indonesian President Joko Widodo surprised many when he appointed 35-year old Nadiem Makarim as Minister for Education and Culture. Makarim had risen to prominence as the…