Archives: Opinions
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New approaches needed to improve women’s political participation in Zimbabwe
By Nana Zulu, Regional Director, Hivos Southern Africa Zimbabwean women, who make up more than half of the electorate, have long been struggling to secure a foothold in the political arena. This situation persists despite a supportive legal and policy framework. Section 56 of the Zimbabwean Constitution protects the right of every woman to vote…
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Africa Climate Summit: a critical opportunity for collective action on climate change
As an African, I have seen first-hand the devastating effects of climate change. These experiences have made me acutely aware of how urgent it is to address the climate crisis.
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What we really need for a just energy transition
By Sheila Oparaocha, Director of the ENERGIA Network In the energy transition discussions, the mainstream narrative assumes that people already have access to energy and that the deployment of large-scale renewable energy projects is the fastest pathway to achieve the net zero by 2050 goal. While this approach is relevant, it fails to take into…
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Why global corporations should support LGBTIQ+ inclusion in Africa
By Levis Nderitu of Workplace Pride, also the Africa Strategy Advisor of Hivos’ Free to be Me Project Human rights are universal and not restricted by geography. Africa, a huge and diverse continent, recognizes this in its Charter on Human and People’s Rights. But social stigma, discrimination, and legislative prohibitions are still throwing huge obstacles…
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Women’s electoral participation in Zimbabwe: a missed opportunity
By Tambudzai Madzimure, Hivos Southern Africa Program Manager, and Lizwe Chitanganya, Hivos Southern Africa Communications Officer Hivos in Southern Africa has a long track record of supporting women’s leadership in Zimbabwe, from our Women Empowered for Leadership program, through She Leads, and now the current programs under our Women Empowerment initiative. The aim: to ensure…
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Clawing back of climate finance commitments a big loss for the Global South
Maimuna Kabatesi is the Global Program Manager of the Voices for Just Climate Action program. Read her strong plea on why diverting climate finance should never be an option.
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Making the energy transition just, equal and possible
By Tjarda Muller of ENERGIA While progress is being made, globally 733 million people still lack access to electricity and 2.4 billion people do not have access to clean cooking technology and fuels. These numbers show a considerable gap that has to be filled in the seven years left until 2030. The gender gap within…
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Resourcing African LGBTIQ+ movements for success and sustainability
What can funders do to ensure African queer movements are resourced for success and sustainability in the face of well-funded global anti-gender/anti-rights movements?
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Investments in water must tackle the threats of scarcity, quality and access
By Vincent Mogaka, Voices For Just Climate Action Project Officer The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that water scarcity in Africa affects one in three people. Water scarcity is killing livestock, drying up crops and driving families from their homes in search of water. There is a link between climate change and water scarcity. Climate…
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Queering CSW67 in the concrete jungle of New York
By Saida Ali, Global Program Manager Free to be Me Alicia Keys sings about New York as “the concrete jungle where dreams are made of,” and there is nothing you can’t do in New York. The theme of the 67th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women is Innovation and technological change,…
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Hivos’ nine-point plan for a Feminist Foreign Policy for the Netherlands
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) recently announced its plan to introduce a Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP). But the Netherlands is already one of the top three donors to gender equality and a trusted partner of women’s organizations and LGBTIQ+ movements globally. Is a Feminist Foreign Policy really necessary? Our answer is a resounding…
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COP27: lack of ambition means more work for the climate justice movement
By Anne Jellema, CEO Hivos The establishment of a loss and damage fund to help developing countries pay for the mounting costs of climate-related disasters makes it tempting to label COP27, the UN Climate Conference that recently took place in Egypt, a historic moment. It certainly shows the growing effectiveness of the climate justice movement,…