The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women (HERO)

At Foreign Policy’s Her Power summit, which took place during the UN General Assembly in New York, host Reena Ninan moderated two live conversations about how to build economies that keep women safe. The first is with Abigail Erikson, Chief of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women and Girls, and Dr. Valeria Esquivel, Senior Employment Policies and Gender Specialist at the International Labour Organization. They are both experts on macroeconomic ways to reduce gender-based violence. 

Then, Ninan spoke with Roxana Mînzatu, the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs, and Preparedness. Mînzatu shared how she approaches gender equality and makes the case for policies that enable women to be safe and thrive. 

This bonus episode of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is supported by the Ford Foundation. 

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Nearly 60 percent of women and girls have experienced online gender-based violence. It’s a difficult problem to address because it involves governmental policy as well as private companies. How can tech platforms become accountable not only to this abuse, but also, for creating safer digital spaces? 

In our final episode of this season, we learn about how technology is facilitating gender-based violence, as well as promising strategies to reduce online GBV. Reporter Sanjna Selva travels to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to understand how the online abuse of a TikTok star rattled the country. She also speaks with Serene Lim, Co-Founder of MataSEA, about how feminist tech approaches could address online GBV in Malaysia. Then host Reena Ninan speaks with Hera Hussain, Founder and CEO of Chayn, a global nonprofit creating online resources to support GBV survivors. Hera shares what she believes are the strongest points of leverage in dealing with major tech platforms. 

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported this season by the Ford Foundation.

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In the fight to end gender-based violence, there’s a stark fact that’s hard to shy away from. Put simply, the majority of GBV perpetrators are men and boys, accounting for more than 90% in most estimates. 

On today’s episode, we hear from a variety of perspectives about how to work with men and boys to end GBV. Host Reena Ninan speaks with Gary Barker, Founder, CEO, and President of Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice. Barker has worked in dozens of countries over the course of three decades. His organization has also conducted decades of research on men and boys' attitudes toward gender equality, including gender-based violence.

Senior producer Laura Rosbrow-Telem also talks to Laxman Belbase, Co-Director of MenEngage, a global alliance of more than 1,000 groups from some 90 countries. They are creating a shared vision for how to work with men and boys for gender equality.

Plus, reporter Ebere Ekeopara covers women recently elected to local traditional councils in Southeastern Nigeria – a phenomenon that began just a few years ago. She speaks with Faithful Ani, a new member of the traditional council in Umuode, Nigeria, John Onovo, chief of the Umuode council, as well as Blessing Uchendu, the head of gender programming at the South Saharan Development Organization, a nonprofit leading local advocacy on GBV.

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported this season by the Ford Foundation.

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What works to prevent gender-based violence from occurring in the first place? In this episode, reporter Leah Kahunde Ndung’u profiles a leading community-based prevention model called SASA! from the nonprofit Raising Voices in Kampala, Uganda. She also examines the Ugandan government’s newly launched national policy to prevent gender-based violence.

Then, host Reena Ninan speaks with Avni Amin from the WHO. She is one of the chief architects of the World Health Organization’s “RESPECT” framework, a global blueprint for policymakers on best practices for preventing gender-based violence. Amin is head of the Rights, Equality and Wellbeing throughout the Life Course Unit, which is part of WHO’s Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research.

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported this season by the Ford Foundation.

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In the media, gender-based violence is often considered a sexism or cultural problem. But what if it were viewed as an economic issue? 

In the newest season of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, we talk to thought leaders around the world about what works to reduce gender-based violence. 

GBV not only affects nearly 1 in 3 women in their lifetime; It is also a huge drain on the economy. UN Women estimates that GBV costs countries about $1.5 trillion per year, or approximately 2% of global GDP. But greater financial security and autonomy can help protect women from violence. 

We begin with a conversation between host Reena Ninan and Sonya Passi, founder and CEO of FreeFrom, a U.S. nonprofit working to end gender-based violence. Passi believes the main challenge for survivors is economic insecurity. Because of this, her organization focuses on directly empowering survivors economically.

Then, reporter Elna Schütz travels to a very special clothing store from Mosaic Training Service and Healing Centre in Cape Town, South Africa. The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported this season by the Ford Foundation.

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Gender-based violence affects nearly 1 in 3 women in their lifetime. 

Beyond the trauma it causes, it is also a huge drain on the economy. UN Women estimates that GBV costs countries about $1.5 trillion per year, or approximately 2% of global GDP. 

But greater financial security and autonomy can help protect women from violence. 

In season 10 of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, we examine what it would take to end gender-based violence. Host Reena Ninan and reporters around the world talk to changemakers and thought leaders about the most effective strategies for reducing GBV, including economic security, prevention programs, engaging allies, and curbing online harassment. 

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported this season by the Ford Foundation.

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The Amazon is the world's biggest tropical rainforest,

But for decades now, this vital resource has been under threat. Nearly 20 percent of the Amazon forest has been lost or degraded. This is largely due to deforestation, where people cut down trees and clear land for other, oftentimes more profitable purposes.

A significant aspect of reducing deforestation is making it financially viable to keep the forest. But how?  

In our season finale of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, we focus on efforts to make supply chains more sustainable: from the source to the end product. We start in the Amazon, where we look at ways to profit from the rainforest without destroying it. And we end up in the boardroom to hear from the president of the outdoor apparel brand Patagonia.

First, we hear from Maria Jose “Chochi” Iturralde, executive director of the nonprofit Fundacion Pachaysana. She helped launch Fundacion Pachaysana, based in Ecuador, to provide financial incentives for local people in the Amazon to preserve their forest and their land, such as through regenerative agriculture. This is part of a new economic model called “the bioeconomy,” which uses renewable biological resources, processes, and innovations to produce food, materials, and energy.

Then, we hear from leaders at Natura, a global beauty company that sources many of their products from the Amazon rainforest. We speak with Charmian Love, global ambassador at Natura, and Fernanda Rezende Facchini, Natura’s senior sustainability and procurement leader in Latin America, about their bioeconomy work in the Amazon.

Finally, host Zainab Salbi sits down with Jenna Johnson, President of Patagonia. The California-based outdoor apparel brand was founded in 1973 by Yvon Chouinard, a rock climber and adventurer who cares deeply about the environment. Patagonia’s mission has always been to “save our home planet.” Their current president Jenna Johnson shares how fulfilling that mission means meticulously scrutinizing every step of their supply chain.

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported this season by Daughters for Earth.

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Nature-based solutions decrease the effects of climate change by using nature to help nature. Mangrove forests helping to preserve shorelines or planting cover crops to rejuvenate the soil are strong examples. According to research from the Nature Conservancy, nature-based solutions can provide up to 37 percent of the carbon emissions reductions needed by 2030. 

In this episode of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, we focus on nature-based solutions’ enormous environmental potential. First, we head to Bolivia, where a small, indigenous group of women is making a big splash. Host Zainab Salbi speaks with Dayana Blanco Quiroga, who co-founded the Uru Uru Team. It is a grassroots initiative dedicated to restoring Lake Uru Uru, which has been heavily degraded from nearby mining and pollution. The Uru Uru Team is just one example of women’s leadership in transforming water security, as Foreign Policy research notes.  

Then, we talk to two investors in nature-based solutions about how they approach this work financially, which can be challenging. First, we hear from Nela Duke Ekpenyong, founding partner at Obudu Capital, a venture capital firm investing in climate tech, energy, and sustainability across Sub-Saharan Africa. And then, we talk to Alexa Firmenich, who founded an ecocentric investment firm called Naia Trust, based in Switzerland. She also hosts a podcast called Lifeworlds. 

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported this season by Daughters for Earth.

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When people discuss environmental solutions, they often mention its impact on our lives. This can include ensuring parts of the planet remain inhabitable in the face of extreme temperatures, maintaining biodiversity, and preventing the oxidation of our oceans. But there’s another case to be made: Investing in our planet makes sense economically. 

Conservation can deliver high returns on investment. According to the International Monetary Fund, every dollar spent on conservation and other green projects may yield up to seven dollars within five years. This is because of jobs created, food systems improved, and a reduction in greenhouse gases, among other outcomes. 

On today’s episode, we speak with Jody Allen, a philanthropist, businesswoman, and conservationist. She cares deeply about protecting wildlife and our planet. Allen is also the owner of the Seattle Seahawks. Host Zainab Salbi, who co-founded Daughters for Earth with Allen, talks with Allen about the interplay between philanthropy and conservation. 

We also speak with two African wildlife conservations: Dr. Shivani Bhalla, founder of Ewaso Lions in Kenya, and Dr. Moreangels Mbizah, founder of Wildlife Conservation Action in Zimbabwe. They share what community-led conservation strategies look like and what they have seen work best to decrease human-wildlife conflict. 

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported this season by Daughters for Earth.

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We begin our newest season, all about women on the frontlines of the climate crisis, with Christiana Figueres. She served as the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. In 2015, Figueres led the process that secured the historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change, where 195 nations agreed to limit future global warming. 

Currently, Christiana Figueres leads a nonprofit called Global Optimism, which she launched with her fellow Paris negotiator Tom Rivett-Carnac. They also wrote a book together, The Future We Choose, and they have a great podcast with Paul Dickinson called Outrage + Optimism, where they get to be undiplomatic about the climate crisis. 

Host Zainab Salbi, also co-founder of Daughters for Earth, talks to Figueres about the current state of the climate movement. Where does Figueres think we should focus our energy at this difficult moment? And how does she reflect on the Paris Climate Agreement, a decade later? 

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported this season by Daughters for Earth.

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