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.  Guests interviewed: Abigail Erikson, Chief of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women and Girls Dr. Valeria Esquivel, Senior Employment Policies and Gender Specialist at the International Labour Organization Roxana Mînzatu, the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs, and Preparedness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Guests Interviewed: Gary Barker, Founder, CEO, and President of Equimundo Laxman Belbase, Co-Director of MenEngage Blessing Uchendu, South Saharan Development Organization Faithful Ani, Member of Umuode Council John Onovo, Chief of Umuode Council Nnenna Anozie, Human Rights Lawyer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special bonus episode, we explore a topic the show hasn’t covered before: menopause. We delve into what would need to change with healthcare and the workforce to better support women through menopause, as well as the economic factors that could enable those policies. Host Reena Ninan speaks with Dr. Jessica Shepherd, gynecologist and author of the new book Generation M, Dr. Claus Runge, Bayer’s chief health equity officer, and Kathryn Schubert, President and CEO of the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR). This live panel discussion was recorded at Foreign Policy’s Her Power Summit, which took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a production of Foreign Policy, with support for this episode from Bayer. (Photo credit: Jonathan Heisler) Guests and organizations: Dr. Jessica Shepherd, Gynecologist and Author of Generation M Dr. Claus Runge, Bayer Chief Health Equity Officer Kathryn Schubert, President and CEO of the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) Suggested reading: Foreign Policy Analytics’ Report: The Health and Economic Impacts of Menopause Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we’re sharing another show you might like. Cramped is a podcast created and hosted by Kate Downey, “because having a microphone gets you more answers than having a uterus.” In this episode, Kate talks to her mom about joining the Boston Women's Health Movement in the 1970s. Why was body literacy such a big part of feminism in the 70s, but when Kate became an active feminist in Boston in the 2000s, she didn't get information about body literacy? To learn more, Kate talks to Laura Prieto, program director of Our Bodies, Ourselves. Listen to more episodes of Cramped here: https://www.katehelendowney.com/cramped Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First, we need to share some news. This may be our last episode. We are so grateful to the funding we have received for this podcast over the past four years. But our largest grant is ending soon. So for now, we are saying goodbye. We truly hope to be back in your feed someday. To commemorate HERO, we are doing one last “follow-up” episode. This was an idea from you, our listeners. You suggested talking to past interviewees and seeing what they are doing now. For today’s show, we’re doing a “reporters’ roundtable” where we look back and look ahead at some of our most impactful stories of the past eight seasons. Host Reena Ninan talks to Kenya-based reporters Sharon Kiburi and Eunice Maina as well as South-Africa based journalist Elna Schutz. If you are new to the show, you may want to go back and listen to the stories that Kiburi, Maina, and Schutz talk about on this episode: What Works in Defeating Workplace Sexual Harassment (Sharon Kiburi) How Men Are Trying to End Gender-Based Violence in South Africa (Elna Schutz) The Hidden Economics of Female Genital Mutilation (Eunice Maina) The Economics of Period Poverty (Elna Schutz) Fighting for LGBTQ Rights in Kenya (Eunice Maina) What the Debt Crisis in Kenya Reveals About International Lending (Sharon Kiburi) In the meantime, please stay in touch. You can email us at [email protected] or contact our senior producer Laura Rosbrow-Telem at [email protected]. We hope to be back soon. The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported in part by the Gates Foundation and Northwestern University’s Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Health and human services. Nutrition. Job programs. These are just a few of the sectors impacted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) cuts in Nigeria—one of the top 10 recipients of U.S. foreign aid. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently announced the elimination of 83 percent of USAID programs. On today’s episode, senior producer Laura Rosbrow-Telem talks to aid workers and direct recipients in Nigeria about the fallout of the cuts so far. After that, host Reena Ninan interviews two special guests about what can be done to address the funding gap. First, Ninan talks to Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, president and CEO of Population Action International (PAI). Since it launched more than 60 years ago, PAI has advocated for sexual and reproductive health care in the United States and abroad. Then, Ninan speaks with Michael Jarvis, executive director of the Trust, Accountability, and Inclusion Collaborative (TAI). TAI is a network of funders focused on strategic and systemic ways to do philanthropy, including the MacArthur and Ford Foundations, among others. Jarvis reveals what he thinks funders can and can’t do at this moment. Guests Interviewed: Edward Clement, BMG Foundation Yusufa Adamu / Aisha Madu, Fatima Orphanage Sani Salihu Mohammed, Health and Social Awareness Foundation (HASAF) Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, president and CEO of PAI Michael Jarvis, executive director of the Trust, Accountability, and Inclusion Collaborative The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported in part by the Gates Foundation and Northwestern University’s Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The United States has long been the largest aid donor in the world, accounting for about 40 percent of humanitarian assistance globally last year, according to the United Nations. But that is quickly changing. Most U.S. foreign aid is currently on hold. Thousands of projects are at risk of elimination. And nearly all staff from the U.S. Agency for International Development are on administrative leave. How did we get to this moment? And what has been the impact of the foreign aid freeze so far, including on women and girls? In the newest season of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, we are following the U.S. foreign aid news. In this first episode, you will hear a conversation we taped at Foreign Policy’s Emerging Threats Forum, an official side event of the Munich Security Conference, about the economic and security implications of halting overseas development assistance. Foreign Policy editor in chief Ravi Agrawal spoke with Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli, the president and CEO of the One Campaign, and Umulkher (Umi) Harun Mohamed, a member of Kenya’s National Assembly. Their conversation focuses on Africa, which gets about 30 percent of U.S. foreign aid annually. If you want to share how this disruption of aid is impacting your life, please be in touch. It can be anonymous, if you prefer. You can reach us at [email protected]. The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported in part by the Gates Foundation and Northwestern University’s Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The number of people exposed to floods globally has surged by nearly 25 percent since 2000, with Africa experiencing the most dramatic increase. Floods this spring were especially brutal in East Africa, killing nearly 530 people and most heavily impacting Kenya. On today’s episode of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, we analyze the relationship between climate and gender equality. Host Reena Ninan begins by hearing from Nairobi-based reporter Eunice Maina, who spoke with a family deeply impacted by the spring floods. They dig deeper into how these floods and climate change in general disproportionately affect women and children. Then, Ninan speaks with Tariye Gbadegesin, the CEO of the Climate Investment Funds. It is one of the world’s largest multilateral climate funds, and a significant portion of their work targets women and girls. We recorded this interview during the annual World Bank-International Monetary Fund meetings in October. Guests and organizations: Eunice Maina, journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya. This is her fifth time reporting for HERO. Tariye Gbadegesin, CEO, Climate Investment Funds The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported in part this season by the Gates Foundation, Northwestern University’s Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, and the Atlantic Council. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices