The Guardian: IMF urges swift action to protect women from Covid-19 economic hit
“Governments around the world have been warned by the International Monetary Fund to take swift action to limit the economic damage for women that has been unleashed by Covid-19. Sounding the alarm over the disproportionate impact on women amid the worst global recession since the 1930s Great Depression, the Washington-based organization said the pandemic threatened to roll back gains in women’s economic opportunities, widening gender gaps that persist despite 30 years of progress. The IMF said governments needed to use the full power of their tax and spending toolkit to extend income support to the most vulnerable people, protect employment and provide incentives to balance work and family care responsibilities…” (Partington, 7/21).

U.N. News: Harness multilateralism’s power to urgently advance women’s rights amid COVID recovery
“With essential resources for women’s health being diverted to emergency COVID-19 response around the world, governments, civil society leaders, CEOs, and academic experts gathered virtually on Tuesday to explore ways to accelerate the achievement of landmark targets set 25 years ago for gender equality and women’s empowerment. ‘It’s up to us to make sure that we use the power of multilateral investment and commitment to realize the potential gains from radical, positive action to redress long-standing inequalities in multiple areas of women’s lives,’ said U.N. Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka, during the day-long interactive hearing organized by General Assembly President Tijani Muhammad-Bande…” (7/21).

U.N. News: ‘COVID-19 is making a global childcare crisis even worse’: UNICEF chief
“Following the release of a U.N. study that shows at least 40 million children have missed out on early childhood education due to measures to combat COVID-19, the head of the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Henrietta Fore, warned that ‘the pandemic is making a global childcare crisis even worse.’ The research brief, published on Wednesday, looks at the state of childcare and early childhood education globally, and includes an analysis of the significant disruption that widespread closures of these vital family services, due to the pandemic, are having…” (7/21).