About: Healthcare systems provide services to about 50% of the world’s population. Promoting self-care is, therefore, critical for achieving Universal Health Coverage. Self-care has assumed increasing significance with the growth of mobile technologies. M-health and its intersection with the formal health system are generating new and innovative ways of providing self-care. In this chapter, the authors focus on the gender dimensions of self-care to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights. Qualitative research was undertaken in Nigeria on high school students and college graduates (married and unmarried) to study their motivations for using self-care and their attitudes, practices, and experiences with self-care. The authors analyze the gender differences in their attitudes, practices, and experiences with self-care technologies such as oral contraceptives and self-injectables for family planning, mifepristone for abortion, and pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention. Specific challenges encountered due to the COVID-19 pandemic are also discussed. The authors conclude that self-care interventions must be systematically implemented to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people. Read more>>>
About:This book offers a unique intersectional perspective on gender equality, SDG5. It presents an intersection of gender with caste, class, region, ethnic and sexual identities, and other structural drivers of inequalities in various development sectors. It presents case studies and empirical findings from development practice and policymaking and highlights the challenges to implementing SDG5 in practice. It discusses policies to promote gender equality and prevent violence against women and girls, and women in decision-making and leadership positions. The chapters reinstate that gender equality is possible only if unequal gender norms are transformed to recognize women and girls as independent economic entities and not merely homemakers providing unpaid care. It also analyzes to deconstruct the idea of monolithic masculinity to recognize gender diversity and men’s role in providing care. The book shows how much has been achieved, yet how far is also left to go. It is an essential reference point for researchers, policymakers, students, and scholars across gender studies, women’s studies, and sociology. Read more…>>>
About: This open access book discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on various aspects of life on a global scale. It analyzes the challenges in the healthcare system during the second wave of COVID-19, such as overstressed human resources in tertiary facilities, lack of trained healthcare workers, and inadequate infrastructure at secondary-level facilities. The book shows that there has been more disruption in low- and middle-income countries than in high-income countries. It presents how the pandemic drove economies into recession and offers a roadmap to advance equality of access to and sustainability of resources. It studies the impact of prolonged lockdowns, which resulted in emotional and mental unrest. It provides a global perspective on the role of the media, including social media, during the pandemic. The authors discuss the unprecedented rise in suicides and the impact of the pandemic on vulnerable groups, such as asylum seekers and adolescents. In addition, contributing authors cover country experiences with COVID-19 in the UK, Taiwan, Ethiopia, Iran, India, and Brazil. The book’s multidisciplinary approach makes it an interesting read for academics, policymakers, program implementers, and researchers in sociology, media studies, and medical experts. Read more>>>
About: The POP Global Climate Crusade, launched in 2022, aims to fight climate change through joint strategies and self-sustaining initiatives. The POP Africa Festival kickstarted the crusade with youth leaders organizing over 100 climate-related activities that mobilized over 1,000 people through grassroots interventions. The festival provided lessons for future efforts, and youth leaders were considered for prestigious awards like the RK Pachauri and John “Mac” McQuown Awards. The crusade will tour the world, mobilizing, and mentoring youth through collaborations with partners and amplifying identified projects as POP Initiatives. The TerraGreen’s Volume 15 Issue 12 on the World Sustainable Development Summit 2023 Special Issue covers the global initiative. Read more…>>>
About: The human security index consists of three key components: economic fabric index, environmental fabric index, and social fabric index. These three components include various different indicators like health, education, diversity, peacefulness, governance, food security, environmental vulnerability, protection and sustainability, measures of human, societal, and national progress and GDP, equality in income distribution and financial-economic governance. Although the Human Security Index provides a quantifiable method to rank and categorize countries based on these indicators, it is understood that an individual’s own notion and perception of security varies with changes in human perspectives and experiences. Read more>>>
About: It was the unique vision, experience, and wisdom of the great leader, H.E. SG Ban Ki-moon which inspired the formulation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The fundamental goal behind the SDGs is the need to further mainstream sustainable development at all levels, integrating economic, social, and environmental aspects and recognizing their interlinkages, so as to achieve sustainable development in all its dimensions. As the first step towards achieving the mainstreaming of the SDGs, I believe that we need to create awareness about sustainable development and build a foundation for deeper understanding and informed action. The 2030 agenda for mainstreaming the SDGs demands reaffirmed commitment led by communities, globally. Achieving the SDGs requires mainstream planning and action as a necessary prerequisite to a sustainable future for all. We have less than a decade to achieve the SDGs. Yet we do have the wherewithal and capacity to achieve what we have set out to achieve on a sustainable pathway. It will take urgent, collaborative action of all stakeholders. This, I believe, was the vision SG Ban Ki-moon had at the time he envisioned the SDGs. While achieving the SDGs will be the greatest tribute to H.E. SG Ban Ki-moon, what is important to remember is that it is our success in their attainment that is essential to keep the legacy of humanity alive. Read more>>>
