COVID-19 Emerging issues for Local Democracies:
Advancing Women’s Economic Empowerment in local democracies to mitigate Increased Unemployment and correlated Gender Based Violence

In May and June 2021, rising unemployment and the correlated spike in genderbased violence (GBV) were identified by ICLD International Training Programme participants and alumni as key emerging realities precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is therefore urgent and important for all ICLD ITP stakeholders to proactively direct their energies and engage in dialogue towards developing response efforts that adequately address unemployment and GBV across all participating local democracies.

The objective of the Cross Pollination seminar is to facilitate continuous structured learning, knowledge-sharing and exchange of practical experience among ICLD ITP’s across the world in a deliberate effort to address key emerging issues and challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT

Although there appears to be some light at the end of the tunnel in the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, it still remains the most challenging public health situation across the world. The mass vaccination effort is delivering encouraging results in slowing the spread and fatality rates of the disease in some of the countries which have been able to vaccinate the majority of their populations.

On the other hand, many countries that are still facing waves of mounting COVID-19 caseloads have been constrained to adopt, or significantly ramp up, a raft of containment measures, including extensive restrictions on social proximity, which inevitably increase the economic shock and social distress in their populations.

The clear common thread for all countries across the world is the disruption of long-standing norms of daily life and ways of doing things coupled with the emergence of strong social and economic trends that must be boldly and holistically appraised in order to regain a positive and sustainable socioeconomic trajectory for the good of society.

PROGRAM

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2021

08:15   Participant Log-in and Registration                                           

08:30   Welcome remarks by Johan Lilja, Secretary General ICLD

SESSION I: INTRODUCTIONS AND SEMINAR OVERVIEW

08:35 – 08:50    Participant expectations and presentation of the seminar program outline

SESSION II: COVID-19, GBV AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE LABOUR MARKET

08:50 – 09:20  Nicole Bläuer, social entrepreneur:

• GBV– Beyond physical violence
• Correlating COVID 19, redundancy, women’s economic marginalisation and the global spike in GBV rates

09:20 – 09: 55 Q&A session, Breakout rooms engagements and plenary discussions

SESSION III: TAKING ACTION: ADOPTING INNOVATIVE RESPONSES TO GBV AND REDUNDANCY

10:05 – 10:25  Sini Ramo, CEO of Global Equality Matters :                        

• Case Study: Advancing Women’s Economic Empowerment to curb GBV                          

10:25 – 11:00  Q&A session; Breakout rooms engagements and Plenary discussions

11:00 – 11:20  Cleopatra Mugyenyi, ICRW, Kenya:

• Re-skilling and pivoting for relevance in the new normal

11:20 – 11:30  Survey on in-demand skills and job opportunities in local democracies

11:30 – 11:40  Overview of results.                 

SESSION IV: NEXT STEPS: INCREASED RESILIENCE THROUGH SHARED EXPERIENCES AND CROSS-POLLINATION OF BEST PRACTICES

11:50 – 12:10  Joseph Ossiya, National mentor, Gender Mainstreaming, Uganda:

• Fostering sharing and learning teams                                 

12:10 – 12:20  Brief online survey on key emerging issues affecting Local Democracies                               

12:20 – 12:30  Closing Remarks by Ulrika Modéer, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy, UNDP.

KEY DEFINITIONS

Unemployment: The unemployed are people of working age who are without work, are available for work, and have taken specific steps to find work. This indicator is measured in numbers of unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force (the total number of unemployed people plus those in employment).Across the world, the rate of people of working age not in employment, education or training (NEET) increased due to the pandemic.

Gender Based Violence: Gender-Based violence refers to harmful acts directed at an individual based on their gender. It is rooted in gender inequality, the abuse of power and harmful norms.

Women’s Economic Empowerment: The process by which women increase their capacity to participate in, contribute to and benefit from growth processes in ways that recognise the value of their contributions, respect their dignity and make it possible to negotiate a fairer distribution of the benefits of growth. It reinforces women’s rights to economic resources and the power to make decisions that benefit themselves, their families and their communities.

WHY WOMEN’S ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT?

Women’s economic empowerment is a prerequisite for sustainable development and for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Across the globe, the combined effect of the pandemic, the mitigation measures and the widespread economic contraction, compounded by pre-existing gender norms and inequalities, continue to place a disproportionate negative bearing on women and girls.

The most recent ILO estimate is that the employment loss measured in working hours for women worldwide were 5.0 per cent in 2020, versus 3.9 per cent for men (ILO 2021). The employment to population ratio fell 2.6 percent for women compared to 1.8 percent for men in low-income countries, and 2.7 percent for women compared for 2.5 percent for men in upper middle-income countries. In lower middle-income countries, the decline was 2.3 for women and 4.1 percent for men (ILO 2021).

This skewed gendered impact on women’s paid and unpaid work, entrepreneurship, and earnings need to be specifically addressed in recovery strategies. Investing in women’s economic empowerment sets a direct path towards gender equality, poverty eradication and inclusive economic growth. Women make enormous contributions to economies, whether in businesses, on farms, as entrepreneurs or employees, or by doing unpaid care work at home[1]. When women have the right skills and opportunities, they can help businesses and markets grow. Women who are economically empowered contribute more to their families, societies and national economies[2].

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[1] https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/economic-empowerment

[2] https://www.icrw.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Understanding-measuring-womens-economic-empowerment.pdf

Participant registration