Report

Women entrepreneurs are critical to a thriving and inclusive economy, yet they face numerous challenges in growing their businesses. These challenges are compounded for women climate entrepreneurs (WCEs), who are critical innovators and catalysts in the response to climate change around the world. WUSC is excited to launch our new knowledge product: Strategies for Incubators…

Roundtable Report Highlights (read full report here). Spanish and Arabic to follow. It is essential to include those who will be impacted (“nothing about us without us”) in developing policies and programs that affect them. Refugees have for too long been left out of processes and decisions that impact their lives and communities. This is…

Gender lens investing is an approach that integrates a gender analysis into investment analysis and decision-making to better inform decisions and advance gender equality. However, gender experts and finance organizations often lack the capacity to integrate their analyses. This problem exists in traditional banks or microfinance institutions where women often still struggle to access appropriate…

A Case Study of the CECI – WUSC Partnership There is a critical need for bold and collective action to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Unfortunately, far too few partnerships and consortiums succeed. This case study examines the strategies that drive effective partnerships. But more so, it explores the strategies needed to…

In November 2019, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and WUSC (World University Service of Canada) brought together stakeholders with an identified interest or active engagement in developing education opportunities for refugees as complementary pathways for admission in third countries. The two-day international conference…

From July 2019 to September 2019, World University Service of Canada (WUSC) was contracted by Mastercard Foundation (MCF) to conduct research into bridging initiatives and programs that support displaced youth, including refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), in sub-Saharan Africa to access higher education and employment upon graduation. This mapping study, A Bridge to the…

Optimizing Development Impact in the Global South The innovations of social entrepreneurs can create new, cost-effective pathways toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Canada and around the world. The overall aim of social enterprises is to apply business methods to solve social problems, including poverty, unemployment, social exclusion, climate change, food insecurity, gender-based…

Gender Lens Investing in Ghana, Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam What is Gender Lens Investing? Pioneered by the Criterion Institute, a think tank based in the United States, and taken up and adapted by an increasing variety of actors over the past decade, Gender lens investing (GLI) is defined as “the incorporation of a gender…

A new paper on creating and implementing gender-inclusive policies within the transportation sector from WUSC’s women’s economic empowerment initiative in Jordan. By: Emilie MacIsaac, Program Officer, WUSC As Jordanians make their way to work, the voice of famous singer Fairuz can be heard ringing through the opening store fronts and rolled-down car windows. Long, intertwined lines…

Impact investing opens new funding pathways for global development The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) chart an ambitious agenda for a more peaceful and prosperous world. But these goals carry a high price tag; it is estimated that an additional $2.5 trillion is required annually to turn this agenda into action. Impact investing presents a…