Day: August 4, 2022

New York, 4 August 2022 – UNFPA, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, is pleased to announce the ten winners of its first-ever Joint Innovation Challenge, a competition to provide funding for social enterprises with innovative solutions that advance the empowerment of women and girls worldwide. The winners pitched a range of innovations, from a portable diagnostic system for pre-eclampsia to a board game that disseminates information on sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Financed by UNFPA’s Equalizer Accelerator Fund, and implemented in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the International Trade Centre (ITC), the 2022 Challenge is awarding ten women-helmed organizations hailing from five different regions globally.

“Creative thinking and innovative solutions are key to accelerate progress for women and girls around the world,” says Dr. Natalia Kanem, UNFPA’s Executive Director. “Through the Equalizer, UNFPA is pleased to support a dynamic group of entrepreneurs and their game-changing ideas. Thanks to funding from the Governments of Luxembourg, Finland, and Denmark, life-changing projects like these are possible.”

The Challenge received 300 submissions from 61 countries. After 20 finalists pitched to an expert panel, the 10 winners signed nine-month contracts with UNFPA and received an equity-free investment of USD 60,000. The funding will allow these organizations to move from pilot stage to scale. UNFPA and its partners will further support the social enterprises with targeted mentorship, training opportunities, interactive workshops, and unique access to the UN network.

Launched in 2021, UNFPA’s Equalizer Accelerator Fund invests in projects that will expand access to contraception and maternal health services for women and girls and end gender-based violence. The fund provides equity-free investments in social enterprises that are led or co-led by women and can show evidence of the impact they will have, enabling them to test and scale up their projects.

Winners of the Joint Innovation Challenge 2022:

Foundation Paniamor, Costa Rica:

Foundation Paniamor develops a novel digital toolkit for adolescent girls to help prevent and respond to online violence.

GerHub, Mongolia:

GerHub reaches women and girls in remote areas with information and sexual and reproductive health services through mobile clinics and telemedicine.

Global Pre-Eclampsia Initiative, Uganda:

A portable diagnostic system that helps pregnant women with early detection, timely referral, and effective management of pre-eclampsia – a life-threatening hypertensive disorder causing up to 10% of pregnancy-related deaths in Africa.

Hillspring Diagnostics, Nigeria:

A revolutionary method to detect ectopic pregnancy, which has dangerous consequences including death if not diagnosed and treated on time.

Impact Innovations Institute, Armenia:

The SafeYou app is a unique digital solution that provides women and girls with security functions to protect them against violence and offers tools for survivors.

KizBasina, Turkey:

An immersive augmented reality experience that aims to stop gender-based violence by introducing people to simulations based on women’s real-life experiences.

Tirando X Colombia, Colombia:

An AI-enhanced chatbot that provides adolescent girls with quality sexual and reproductive health information and services, helping to end the cycle of poverty generated by teenage pregnancies.

ToguMogu, Bangladesh:

A one-stop family health and wellbeing platform that provides access to family planning, reproductive health information, and services for young women and new mothers.

Urukundo Initiative, Rwanda:

Urukundo Life Skills Board Game is the first ever licensed low-tech educational game in Rwanda that disseminates information on sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Women in Entrepreneurship and Technology (WETECH), Cameroon:

A community hub and women’s innovation center that offers a digital tool that connects survivors and persons at risk of gender-based violence via a secure and confidential messaging platform.

Source: United Nations Population Fund

In West Africa, staple food prices increased in June due to the early depletion of stocks from the below-average 2021/22 agricultural season, national restrictions on grain exports, and persistent insecurity negatively affected supply, particularly in the Lake Chad basin and in the Liptako-Gourma region. In the coastal countries of the Gulf of Guinea, atypically high prices were driven mainly by strong industrial and export demand, depreciating national currencies, and the sharp rise in import costs. Overall, staple food prices were well above 2021 levels and the five-year average due to high global fuel and transportation costs (Page 3).

• In East Africa, staple food prices increased in June in most markets in Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and some in South Sudan as supplies tightened. Prices remained stable in many markets in Ethiopia due to ample supplies and declined in Burundi and Tanzania because of local harvests. Livestock prices remained stable or increased slightly as livestock body conditions improved as a result of the May-to-June rains. Commodity prices increased due to below-average production and high fuel and fertilizer costs (Page 4).

• In Southern Africa, maize price trends varied across countries. Maize prices decreased in South Africa and Tanzania, were stable in Zambia and Mozambique, and increased in Zimbabwe and areas of Malawi. Overall, though, prices were above average due to high transportation costs, reduced maize supply from the below-average harvest, and strong import demand. High energy prices continued to drive prices upward while currency depreciation continued across much of the region (Page 5).

• In Central America, markets operated normally and were adequately supplied with local and imported goods. White maize prices increased across most markets. In June, red and black bean prices rose in El Salvador and Nicaragua while rice prices remained stable. In Haiti, local staple food prices decreased due to improved availability from early harvests. However, insecurity constrained food and fuel supply in Port-au-Prince (Page 6).

• In Central Asia, staple food commodities such as rice, wheat grain, and oil followed seasonal trends but were significantly above average. Rising energy prices continued to increase pressure and uncertainty on rice and wheat markets. In Yemen, staple food commodity prices continued to increase in areas controlled by the International Recognized Government (IRG) (Page 7).

• International staple food markets were sufficiently supplied. Maize and wheat prices decreased due to seasonal supply increases from harvests. However, concerns about market performance remained because of the effects of the war in Ukraine. Government efforts to mitigate these risks will be essential to monitor as well as the weather and its implications for crop development (Page 2).

Source: Famine Early Warning System Network