The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women (HERO)

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. Guests interviewed: Dayana Blanco Quiroga, Co-Founder of the Uru Uru Team Nela Duke Ekpenyong, Founding partner of Obudu Capital Alexa Firmenich, Founder of Naia Trust Recommended Reading: Foreign Policy Analytics: Transforming Water Security Through Women's Leadership Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we’re bringing you an episode from the award-winning podcast Face-Off: The U.S. vs China. China’s leader, Mao Zedong famously said that “Women hold up half the sky.” But these days it doesn’t feel that way in China. Unfair marriage rules, difficulties getting a divorce, barriers to owning property and many more restrictions are challenging women to speak out, and act. On this episode, “Feminist Rebels,” we’ll hear about the Chinese “leftover women” who are veering from the traditional path and about the Chinese feminists of today. Guest: Leta Hong Fincher, author, Left Over Women. Recommended Books: Left Over Women: The Resurgence of Gender Inequality in China by Leta Hong Fincher Tiananmen Square by Lai Wen Sound design, original score, mixing and mastering by Rowhome Productions. Rowhome’s Creative Director is Alex Lewis. John Myers is Rowhome’s Executive Producer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s face it: It’s been a challenging year for family planning and reproductive rights more broadly. What can we do from here? We were eager to catch up with family planning leaders at Foreign Policy’s Her Power Summit, which took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. In a live panel discussion, host Reena Ninan spoke with Dr. Samukeliso Dube, Executive Director of FP2030 and a return guest to the show. Dr. Dube described their Made Possible by Family Planning campaign and how they have shifted their messaging since we last caught up with her in spring 2024. Dr. Dube was also joined by George Roberts, Bayer’s global lead of impact partnerships, as well as Dr. Siti Nadia Tarmizi, Director of Non-Communicable Diseases for the Indonesia Ministry of Health. They shared how the private and public sectors are approaching family planning at this time. The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a production of Foreign Policy, with support for this episode from FP2030’s Made Possible by Family Planning campaign. Guests and organizations: Dr. Samukeliso Dube, Executive Director of FP203 George Roberts, Global Lead of Impact Partnerships, Bayer Dr. Siti Nadia Tarmizi, Director of Non-Communicable Diseases, Indonesia Ministry of Health Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we’re bringing you an episode of What Could Go Right from our friends at The Progress Network. Each Wednesday on What Could Go Right, hosts Zachary Karabell and Emma Varvaloucas converse with diverse experts to have sharp, honest conversations about what’s going on in the world, even during difficult times. In this episode, they dive into the global health crisis that doesn’t get nearly enough attention - tuberculosis (TB). Tuberculosis is one of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world, yet it has been largely ignored by wealthy nations and Big Pharma. One person who refuses to let that stand is #1 New York Times bestselling author, YouTuber, and activist John Green. His new book, Everything is Tuberculosis, explores the history, science, and injustices surrounding this disease. Tune in to new episodes of What Could Go Right every Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t miss the Friday episodes where Emma and Zachary highlight the latest progress from around the globe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While the show is on hiatus, we want to share a few podcasts on the HERO feed that we think you might like. We will release these episodes over the next month. This first one is from a podcast called The Most Important Question from the Important, Not Important team. When HERO first launched, Important, Not Important featured one of our early episodes. It’s a good show, and we’ve been happy to remain in touch over the years. This episode fits in well with our recent season. It’s an interview with Dr. Ticora V. Jones, who served as the chief scientist for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). She’s currently the chief science officer at the NRDC. ----------- Have feedback or questions about the episode? Tweet at the show, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com. Want more? Get started with fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The idea for today’s show came from you: our listeners. Many of you wanted to hear follow-up stories. You suggested talking to past interviewees and seeing what they are doing now. In particular, you were curious if the gender equality issues they were advocating for had advanced or backslid since we first reported on them. Today, we are coming back to Sabrina Habib, who was on our very first episode in 2021. Habib is the CEO and co-founder of Kidogo, a nonprofit focused on creating affordable high-quality daycare centers in Kenya. Since we last spoke with Habib, Kidogo has greatly expanded. Host Reena Ninan asks her what led to this growth and about her recent endeavors with Melinda French Gates. 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

As a special bonus, we're sharing an interview host Reena Ninan recorded with Preethi Herman about how to launch a digital campaign that actually changes policy. Herman led the Change.org Foundation, supporting 100 million people in campaigns worldwide. Currently, Herman is the CEO and co-founder of the Nguvu Collective, a women-led organization that has impacted more than 200 million lives. **Note: This interview took place before the U.S. foreign-aid freeze, which we will address more in coming episodes. Still, Herman’s advice about advocacy could not be more relevant. ***** If you want to share how the disruption of aid is impacting your life, please be in touch. It can be anonymous, if you prefer. You can reach us at podcasts@foreignpolicy.com. 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

On today’s episode of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, the final in our season focusing on the World Bank/IMF meetings this fall, we dive deep into the World Bank’s newly launched gender strategy. We will hear from two leaders driving this vision forward, as they explain why the Bank decided to prioritize some new goals. First, host Reena Ninan speaks with Hana Brixi, Global Director for Gender at the World Bank, from the Atlantic Council’s pop-up studio in the IMF atrium. Then, Ninan talks to Anna Bjerde, Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank. Bjerde oversees a portfolio of programs worth about $340 billion and is leading new Bank reforms to make it more efficient. Guests and organizations: Hana Brixi, Global Director for Gender at the World Bank Anna Bjerde, Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank 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

As global public debt reaches historic highs, one of the key solutions is increasing the amount of funding for “concessional” loans—or ones with very good terms. That is where the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) comes in. According to the World Bank, the IDA is the world’s largest source of development finance for countries most in need. It provides low-income countries with grants and loans with little to no interest. Every three years, the IDA has to raise funds from its members: donor countries. Its final replenishment meeting, where it will announce how much money it is able to raise, will take place on Dec. 5 and 6 in Seoul. The stakes are high as this critical deadline looms. On today’s episode of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, host Reena Ninan speaks with two experts who care deeply about the IDA and financing for the world’s poorest countries. Ninan talks to Gargee Ghosh, president of global policy and advocacy for the Gates Foundation, and Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi, president and CEO of the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET), at the Atlantic Council’s International Monetary Fund recording studio. They share their deep expertise about what really works in supporting women and girls, as well as reducing poverty. Guests and organizations: Gargee Ghosh, president of global policy and advocacy for the Gates Foundation Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi, president and CEO of ACET 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

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is back for a very special seventh season. If you’re a longtime listener, you’ll know our show generally focuses on women from the global majority, or the global south. But this time, we wanted to cover the banks and institutions shaping global funding—particularly as the world faces an unprecedented amount of governmental debt. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), global public debt is expected to top $100 trillion by the end of this year, its highest level ever. Many countries are facing painful choices about how to spend fewer resources, including on programs critical to women and girls. We recorded most of our interviews at the IMF and World Bank annual meetings in late October, right before the U.S. presidential election. Here, financial leaders decide how to spend billions of dollars on top development priorities, such as poverty reduction, climate change, and gender equality. We’ll try to answer some big questions this season: How are countries and multilateral institutions grappling with so much government debt? What are they doing to prepare for the new U.S. administration? And how is all this impacting the fight for gender equality? For the season premiere, we wanted to start by looking at what has worked in the past. We talk to two incredible women who have both been finance ministers and leaders at multilateral institutions about how they have advanced women and girls economically. Guests and organizations: Christine Lagarde, the president of the European Central Bank and the former head of the IMF Malado Kaba, the former head of gender at the African Development Bank and current managing director of Falémé Conseil First, host Reena Ninan speaks with Christine Lagarde, the president of the European Central Bank, the former head of the International Monetary Fund, and former finance minister of France. She is the first woman ever to hold any of these roles. Lagarde was also named by Forbes as the No. 2 most powerful woman in the world last year. Special thanks to our media partner for this season, the Atlantic Council. They hosted Lagarde at an event during the IMF and World Bank meetings right before our interview. Then, Reena interviews Malado Kaba, the former director of the Gender, Women, and Civil Society Department of the African Development Bank. She was also the first ever female finance and economy minister for the Republic of Guinea. Kaba is currently the managing director of Falémé Conseil, a consultancy firm focused on African economic growth. 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

We’re ending this season with a special bonus episode recorded live from Foreign Policy’s Her Power Summit, which took place during the spring meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C. First, host Reena Ninan speaks to United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed. Then you’ll hear a panel discussion on the role of data in advancing gender equality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices