First week at UNEP HQ in Nairobi Kenya

I started working at the beautiful and sustainable UNEP HQ in Nairobi on Monday July 25^th. I have the privilege of working in a zero energy balance building. That means that, over the course of a year, all of the building's energy needs are met by the solar panels mounted on the roof tiles. Not only does this building have a zero energy balance, but the builders were very careful to use local supplies (including local architects, construction firms, building materials, etc.) as much as possible. Also, rainwater is harvested to feed the beautiful fish ponds and both this rainwater and graywater (from the bathrooms and utility rooms) are used to irrigate the beautiful themed internal atrium flora, as well as the nearby lawn. With such gorgeous, tranquil surroundings, my work space is very inviting.

Less relaxing is the pace at which Quality Assurance Section (QAS) moves. QAS operates under the Executive Office of the UNEP and helps measure the impact of UNEP projects and programs. Within QAS, I am working with the senior gender adviser to the UNEP, Ms. Janet Kabeberi-Macharia to identify projects in the Resource Efficiency & Sustainable Consumption and Production priority area that might benefit from: (1) my expertise in theories of contextually appropriate innovation; (2) my expertise in theories of knowledge circulation; (3) policy suggestions for further gender mainstreaming.

Originally, at the request of Ms. Kabeberi-Macharia, I identified two (out of 6) UNEP priority areas that best fit my interests: Resource Efficiency and Sustainable Consumption (RE&SCP) and, Harmful Substances and Hazardous Waste. At the time, both Ms. Kabeberi-Macharia and I were considering how my project at the UN could best fit the topic of my dissertation research which is avoidable blindness. Its theoretical premise actually fits quite well with the UNEP priority area of Resource Efficiency –Sustainable Consumption and Production (RE&SCP), in particular the following areas: a model of sustainable financing; working with international institutions; facilitating S-S cooperation; emphasizing national ownership.

Together, Ms. Kabeberi-Macharia and I have started to identify some specific projects in the area of S-S Cooperation, that I might work with. In each, I will try to identify and advocate for specific policy measures to inculcate gender responsiveness (where women are encouraged to participate as decision makers in policy) and gender mainstreaming (where I advocate the incorporation of sex-disaggregated statistics and consideration of women's equality and women's empowerment into policy decisions).

While, as a Ph.D. Candidate, I have read a lot of feminist science studies and feminist technology studies literature, how such literature translates into policy practice was previously unknown to me. From Ms. Kabeberi-Macharia’s website on Gender Issues in UNEP, I accessed the glossary where I learned about the terminology used by policy professionals to discuss some of the same goals that feminist scholars have. If any of the other CWWL fellows have some other resources to share on the policy practices of gender mainstreaming, and gender responsiveness, I would very much appreciate them.

Counting Down to Nairobi

Now that the semester has ended and my round of conferences is over, I am counting down to my Environmental Policy Fellowship at the United Nations Environment Programme in Nairobi, Kenya. My current plan is to start my 10 week fellowship at the UNEP in Nairobi on Mon July 25 after I have written the first two chapters of my dissertation. I have looked over the UNEP website and they are doing some really interesting things. The thematic areas that looked most interesting from the UNEP website were:

• South-South Cooperation, looking at local technology production and transfer within the Global South for environmentally sustainable initiatives
• Health, Gender & Environment, looking at the connections between health and the environment (this most closely combines my dissertation interests with work at UNEP)

As I anticipate learning more about my work assignment, I have begun thinking about the connections between the work that UNEP is doing and my dissertation research on avoidable blindness. Specifically, I am aware of the following connections:

Water and Sanitation Management & Avoidable Blindness by Infectious Diseases

• decreases in trachoma (low vision in 80 million people) and trichiasis (blindness in 11 million people; caused by trachoma) through aggressive programs on the African continent
• decreases in incidence of onchocerciasis (river blindness) on the African continent

Climate Change & Avoidable Blindness by Cataracts and Particulate Matter

• decreased ozone means increased ultraviolet radiation. High levels of UV radiation have been correlated with increased incidence of cataract disease (17 million people are blind worldwide due to cataract) a disease which predominantly affects low-income women
• unknown levels of particulate matter caused by the use of wood or coal burning stoves. This indoor air pollution has been implicated in cases of low vision (again predominantly affecting women) among many other diseases.

While I do not yet know what my assignment is I am looking forward to working with interesting people and learning about how an international institution such as the UN operates.

Greetings from DC... and Costa Rica!

I hope this post finds the Fellows well!
I started my Fellowship at the Council of Women World Leaders in Washington, DC just over two weeks ago. On the Friday of my first week we hosted a breakfast with President Laura Chinchilla of Costa Rica. It was a successful event, a priceless introduction to the work of the Council, and pretty cool welcome party!

As the Council's newest member, President Chinchilla had incredible insight on everything from bilateral diplomacy to the media's portrayal of her Presidency. She was accompanied by an expert panel including Jane Holl Lute (Deputy Secretary, Department of Homeland Security), Kathleen Sebelius (Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services), Muni Figueres (Ambassador of Costa Rica to the United States), and Jane Harman (President, Director & CEO, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars). Together, their statements and discussion spanned myriad topics such as the environment, national security, foreign trade and public health.

The liveliest part of the discussion was triggered from Liza Gross, Executive Director of the International Women’s Media Foundation. She asked about President Chinchilla’s relationship with the media. President Chinchilla’s response was echoed by nearly every public figure in the room. Each of them has had their political and policy agendas overlooked by questions about their personal lives, relationships and even wardrobes because of their gender. The Honorable Jane Harman of the Woodrow Wilson Institute told of her first time speaking in front of Congress. The first constituent response she got to her speech was a compliment on her outfit – not a word about the content of her message.

Overall, President Chinchilla's breakfast event aligned my perspective of gender issues as priority points of discussion at the highest levels of government and industry. So often I frame gender issues as grassroots, development initiatives. The Council's charge is to elevate the conversation toward actionable change in the landscape of leaders and decision makers across the globe. I'm looking forward to contributing to the Council's work and I can only hope my last week at the Council is as noteworthy as my first!