What do these women have in common? They’re all leaders in some way, spanning a wide variety of careers and countries and being role models for those women who will come after.

“There is no such thing as a man’s or a woman’s profession”

When she was young, Rafika Musaeva was inspired by scientific articles on engineering, which were in abundance in her home. Despite advice to the contrary, she decided to become an electric drive and industrial plants engineer.

A high achiever, she was noticed for her academic accomplishments, active social position and leadership skills during her studies. She…

From gender equality to human rights, climate change to economic empowerment, we covered a lot of ground this year. But of course one topic was on everyone’s mind: the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s a clear indicator of how the pandemic and its impacts spread across all of our work here at UNDP.

Here’s a look back at our thoughts on Covid-19 and its relationship to everything from biodiversity to innovation.

12. The coronavirus pandemic has created a “perfect storm” for core government functions
by Irakli Kotetishvili, Anti-corruption and public administration policy specialist

11. Is the climate crisis partly responsible for the…

by Ainura Bekkoenova, Zana Idrizi

The severe impact of the pandemic across the globe has exposed flaws of social, economic and political models, challenged our societies, tested our collective humanity, and aggravated inequalities. As the lack of social protection measures persisted, pre-existing inequalities, injustices and gaps in human rights protection have become more pronounced.

As the pandemic rages on, here are four areas of growing concern for human rights.

1. Weakening democratic practices

The often strong measures imposed to control the spread of COVID-19, such as movement restrictions and states of emergency, raised serious challenges regarding the functioning of good government, its relationship with…

by Kristina Jazinka Nikolic, Head of Experimentation at the UNDP Accelerator Lab in Serbia

Digital nomads are people who choose where they live and work, since their employment is mainly virtual, changing locations often. Their jobs cover a wide range from graphic design, digital marketing and writing to blockchain, e-commerce and programming.

At UNDP Serbia’s Accelerator Lab, we became interested in digital nomads because we have been working on understanding the topic of depopulation in Serbia for a while.

Depopulation is a global issue affecting a range of countries across the globe, some aspects of which are low birth rate…

5 key areas to pay close attention in the 2020 Kyrgyz elections

by Louise Chamberlain, UNDP Resident Representative to the Kyrgyz Republic

Boasting a reputation as the only parliamentary democracy in Central Asia and a country with considerable freedom of speech, Kyrgyzstan is approaching its next elections on 4 October. The campaign period leading up to the polls on is dynamic, and competition among the 16 registered parties intense.

With only three decades since independence, Kyrgyzstan does not have a long democratic tradition. The early years post independence involved a period of turmoil and complex social, economic and political changes…

Over the last few years, Kyrgyzstan has been working on making itself a destination sought after by travelers. The idea is to appeal to adventure seekers, not just those interested in a trip around the countryside. The natural environment is stunning, and the landscapes provide spectacular and intense hiking, rafting and mountaineering possibilities. They have not been promoted the way other more popular “adventure” destinations have been, but throw in historical caravanserai, equestrian traditions and a unique cuisine and you have quite a destination.

Tourism’s share of the country’s 2019 GDP was 5 percent: the export of services amounted to…

by Dafina Gercheva, Resident Representative at UNDP Ukraine

Editor’s note: As we move from immediate response to the COVID-19 pandemic to talking about recovery, we are given a chance to return with a greener, more sustainable future — one that will require all hands on deck, from the citizen to the business to the government. UNDP Ukraine has been working on just such an initiative for renewable energy and it can serve as a lesson for others to take as they start looking towards post-crisis response.

New inequalities are being triggered by technology and climate change, and they are increasingly…

by Millie Begovic, Global Innovation Advisor a.i. at UNDP, and Lejla Sadiku, Innovation Specialist at UNDP

This is the dawn of a new era, one of radical uncertainty where control doesn’t exist. Can the development sector reform itself fast enough to turn the pandemic response into more resilient systems? Can we leverage new capabilities to decrease likelihood of and exposure to similar shocks?

The COVID-19 is evolving into a long-term emergency, unlike any other that the modern world has experienced before (even though it was an entirely predicted and fully ignored — a ‘white swan’ event). Its effects will manifest differently relative to countries’ ability to cope.

Those reliant on remittances, export of primary resources and foreign investments, SMEs and service sectors coupled with high degrees of informality, weak public services and limited fiscal space are likely to suffer a confluence of factors leading to a deep…