Global Scans · Gender · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Achieving global gender parity will take many decades yet. Read on to understand the trends, challenges and efforts to advance parity at a faster pace.

• [New] Accelerating investments in care systems, green jobs, education, and social protection could lift 110 million women and girls out of extreme poverty by 2050 and generate US$ 342 trillion in cumulative economic returns. Mexico Business
• [New] Closing the gender digital divide alone could lift 30 million women out of poverty and add US$ 1.5 trillion to the global economy by 2030. Bernama
• [New] The Cotonou Declaration calls for large-scale training to ensure that 20 million people acquire basic digital skills, and that 2 million young people and women benefit from digital jobs or entrepreneurship opportunities. World Bank
• [New] Through targeted funding and technical assistance, UN Women seeks to expand opportunities for women to influence decision-making, enhance their representation in political institutions, and strengthen gender-responsive governance mechanisms. Global South Opportunities
• [New] Women who use a vaginal douche could be at a higher risk of exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
• [New] Singapore will impose targeted financial sanctions and entry bans with immediate effect on four Israeli men for their involvement in egregious acts of extremist violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. CNA
• [New] The amount of progestin, a substance resembling the female hormone progesterone, may be the driver in which types of birth control increase breast cancer risk more than others, a study published in JAMA Oncology found. Cancer Today
• [New] Women and girls in conflict zones or living in other vulnerable situations are particularly at risk of experiencing intimate partner and sexual violence. Al Jazeera
• [New] Research funding for women took a fresh step forward, with 65 grants launched to support postgraduate projects that drive education and income generation in Morocco. UAE Business Directory - Find Companies & Listings | UA
• [New] Beyond hiring, AI offers women flexible ways to skill development through personalised learning platforms, virtual mentorship programmes and global networking opportunities. The National
• [New] Transport Canada's Marine Training Program continues to provide greater opportunities for underrepresented groups, such as women, Indigenous Peoples and Northerners to enter the marine industry. Transport Canada
• [New] Women with HIV in Italy often do not perceive themselves at risk of anal cancer despite high prevalence of HPV strains associated with cancer, with 45% refusing screening. aidsmap.com
• [New] Though more women in India are being educated, they endure heavy societal burdens on how they are expected to behave and present themselves in public and are uniformly lower paid across all sectors. The Guardian
• [New] Through the AI-Ready ASEAN initiative, a partnership between the ASEAN Foundation and Google.org, 5.5 million people across ASEAN Member States will be trained in AI and digital skills, with a particular focus on women and youth. Antara
• [New] Closing the gender digital divide alone could lift 30 million women out of poverty and add USD 1.5 trillion to the global economy by 2030. Antara
• [New] Women have a higher lifetime risk than men of developing dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a transitional stage between healthy ageing and dementia that often affects quality of life but still allows people to live independently. Mega Doctor News
• [New] Women face disproportionate climate risks: In fragile contexts like Myanmar, women and girls suffer the most during climate disasters-14 times more likely to die than men - and exclusion from decision-making can be life-threatening. Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security
• [New] Economic case for investing in women: Supporting women globally could add $1 trillion USD to GDP, reduce income losses from climate shocks in LMICs, and avoid trillions in economic losses annually. Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security
• [New] The Food and Drug Administration plans to discard warning labels for hormone therapies for menopausal women, undoing decades-old language cautioning that treatments may increase the risk of cancer or heart disease. Healthcare Dive
• [New] In Sweden, a team at Lund University has trained an AI model on mammograms that can identify patients who could safely skip sentinel lymph node biopsy, sparing up to 40% of women from unnecessary axillary surgery. Cancerworld Magazine |
• [New] Speakers will explore opportunities from multiple angles to align the ecosystem, helping enable Canada to capitalize on the estimated $37 billion economic opportunity created by closing the gender health gap. Femtech Canada
• [New] Running until 2028, it will support women aged 18 to 35 from lower-income communities in Singapore through job-readiness and well-being training designed to build confidence and strengthen employability. Fintech Singapore

Last updated: 27 November 2025