By Blossom Ukoha A cooler world is not simply about turning on an air conditioner. Behind every refrigerator preserving food, every hospital storing vaccines, every cold room protecting agricultural produce and every building made safer during extreme heat is a rapidly evolving global industry — one that needs more women. As the world marks the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer on 16 September 2026, the focus is increasingly shifting from protecting the ozone layer to building a sustainable cooling economy. The 2026 theme, “Global action for a cooler planet,” marks ten years of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol and its drive to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), powerful greenhouse gases used in cooling. For women, this transition represents more than an environmental agenda. It is an opportunity to participate in one of the world’s essential and expanding sectors, as engineers, technicians, entrepreneurs, researchers, policymakers and business leaders. A…

By Blossom Ukoha Every year on 15 September, the world marks the International Day of Democracy, a day dedicated to one of the fundamental principles of modern governance: the right of people to participate in shaping the decisions that govern their lives. But democracy is more than elections, political parties and casting ballots. At its heart, it is about participation, representation, human rights, accountability and the ability of citizens to have a meaningful voice in public affairs. If half of the world’s population remains significantly underrepresented in positions where decisions are made, one question remains: Can democracy truly deliver for everyone when women are not equally represented? The United Nations established the International Day of Democracy through General Assembly Resolution A/RES/62/7, adopted by consensus on 8 November 2007, with the first observance taking place in 2008. The date also coincides with the anniversary of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Universal Declaration on…

By Blossom Ukoha At 42, a woman in a rural community in northern Nigeria sits with a notebook on her lap, slowly tracing letters she was never taught to read as a child. For years, she depended on others to read medicine labels, interpret bank messages, complete forms and calculate prices for her small business. Now, through an adult literacy programme, she is learning to read customer messages on her phone, record her daily sales and support her children with their schoolwork. What she is gaining is more than the ability to read and write; she is gaining the confidence to make decisions for herself. Her experience represents the reality of millions of women worldwide whose opportunities have been restricted by limited access to education. On 8 September 2026, the world marks International Literacy Day and the 60th anniversary of UNESCO’s proclamation of the observance. UNESCO proclaimed the day on…