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Monday, October 12, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Women & Economy
Q&A: Education Is Where HIV Care Begins
When Shorai Chitongo founded Ray of Hope, a support group for female survivors of domestic violence in 2005, she discovered that three-quarters of the survivors in the group were HIV-positive. [caption id="attachment_114724" align="alignright" width="250"]
Young Women Face Double Whammy in Pacific Islands
With youth populations growing faster than jobs in the Pacific Islands, young women, who are also confronting social pressures to conform to traditional gender roles, account for the highest rates of unemployment in most countries.
Q&A: Honouring the Silent Courage of Afghan Women
Violence against women is internationally recognised as a threat to democracy, a burden on national economies, and a serious human rights violation.
Latin American Middle Class Booming but Fragile
New data from the World Bank shows that the middle class in Latin America has expanded substantially, growing by 50 percent over the past 10 years despite decades of sluggish poverty reduction.Women Poised to Vote for Stronger Economy
A few weeks ago, President Barack Obama was seen as certain to collect the majority of women's votes in the Nov. 6 presidential election. Four days before the election, however, the women's vote is thought to be divided equally between Obama and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney.
Regional Trade Key to African Food Security, World Bank Says
The World Bank is urging African countries to strengthen regional food trade, suggesting that food security could be greatly enhanced simply by allowing farmers to trade more easily across the continent.
Entrepreneurs and Women: Keys to Growth in Africa
The international financial crash of the late 2000s created more than a global economic recession: it accentuated popular doubts about the paradigms on which our economies are built and prompted a closer look at two crucial drivers of economic growth: women and entrepreneurship.
Migrant Women Trapped in Sex Trade
When French police broke up a Nigerian human trafficking ring that allegedly forced young migrant women into prostitution, the arrests cast a sharp light on the plight of what the authorities called “modern-day slaves”, here and throughout Europe.Amidst Controversy, World Bank to Review Influential Rankings
The World Bank released its 10th annual Doing Business report on Monday, using the occasion to track business- and investment-friendly reforms put in place around the world over the past decade.
The Face of Food Security Is Female
In a major endorsement for investment in women - the bulk of food growers in the developing world - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said food security could not be achieved without women, and that the world's hungry also needed leaders to prioritise actions.
Amid Food Crisis, Caribbean Agriculture Going to Seed
With the average age of a farmer in the Caribbean now 62 years old, there is growing concern that commercial agriculture is on a path to extinction – a dire scenario for a region already shouldering a massive food import bill.
Cooperatives Help Women Farmers Tighten Ranks
It is a tried and tested truth that when women come together in groups they can address their issues more powerfully than they can as individuals.
Violence Against Women Surging in India
As gender-based violence across India becomes more frequent, and more savage, increasing numbers of women are speaking out against the cruelty.
Giving Women Land, Giving them a Future
Clarisse Kimbi barely ekes out a living from a tiny parcel of land in Kom village in the North West Region of Cameroon. Today, the mother of six finds it hard to put food on the table for herself and her children. But five years ago she, her husband and children were considered well-off.
Women Are the New ‘Emerging Market’
Empowering women in the business world is not only a smart political decision, but also makes good economic sense.Experts Urge Focus on Microeconomics in Maghreb
A failure to focus on small-scale economics could be the most significant obstacle to stability in North Africa in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, economists, diplomats and development workers warned here on Friday.
Cooperatives Summit Celebrates Power in Diversity
The migratory seeds of cooperatives were sown and first thrived in Europe, but have since adapted to the climate of nations worldwide.
Co-operatives Hold Their Own in Free Market Jungle
Cooperatives may face an immense challenge in garnering broader public recognition among consumers, but when it comes to chasing growth, they haven’t held back.
Q&A: Global Economy, Meet One Billion Co-op Members
The international rally to take the global cooperative movement to the next level is in full swing at the International Summit of Cooperatives here, which kicked off on Monday.Guatemalans Turn to Mutual Aid to Overcome Poverty
"Our economic situation improved a great deal because we obtained more income for our families" as a result of setting up a social enterprise, Matilde García, who makes fashion jewellery in the municipality of Pastores, 60 km west of the capital of Guatemala, told IPS.
Cooperatives Champion Balance Between People and Profit
The banner year for the global cooperative movement is winding down into its last months, but its leaders have echoed a resounding message: cooperatives, a values-based business model, can usher a transition to a more socially responsible economy.« Previous Page — Next Page »
Around the world, women make great contributions to different economies. From the field of business, to carrying the bulk of unpaid care, women are essential to economic growth. However, due to gender inequality, women face economic discrimination. Taking many forms, including disproportionate wages, greater exposure to vulnerable employment, and reduced economic opportunity, this inequality continues to curtail economic development. Yet women continue to work past these obstacles and reduce this disparity, furthering economic empowerment. These stories help to identify women’s economic struggles, and those that are working towards empowerment.
The Week with IPS
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Tracking global progress towards a sustainable world
Tracking global progress towards a sustainable world
