Gender and Youth

L. M. Hashan Buddhika beams with pride while giving a tour of his boutique hotel in Bandarawela in the Uva province of Sri Lanka. Tourism had been a mainstay on the island country until the pandemic hit hard in 2020. For Hashan, an innovative programme came at the right time to equip him with the skillsets needed to transform his ancestral property into a boutique hotel that practices sustainability and supports the local economy.

Last year, a funding announcement from the federal government in Indonesia made history. It was less about what it was for than who it went to. The funding for two local government programmes went to PKK Nehas Liah Bing, a women’s community-based organization in the East Kalimantan province.

Women make vital contributions to agricultural supply chains across the globe. On International Women’s Day, we join the international community in calling for the rights, equality and empowerment of all women and girls. Each day we see these values expressed in the voices of women we work with in global supply chains.