Private Sector Has Crucial Role to Play in Women’s Empowerment – Mexico Business News

Co-Impact’s Strategy for Systemic Change in Latin America: A Focus on the Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Mission and Alignment with the SDGs

Co-Impact’s mission is to strengthen health, education, and economic systems to be inclusive for all, with a particular focus on women and marginalized communities. This vision directly supports the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including:

• SDG 5: Gender Equality
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

The organization’s strategy in Latin America, particularly Mexico, involves a multi-faceted approach that leverages political opportunities, fosters strategic partnerships, and addresses the structural barriers hindering progress on these goals.

Strategic Framework for Project Selection and Implementation

Identifying Opportunities for Systemic Change

Project selection in Mexico is guided by Co-Impact’s core criteria and an analysis of the local context. Key factors include:

1. Political Windows of Opportunity: Identifying governments, such as those in Mexico and Brazil, that are open to addressing gender issues. The increased visibility of care work during the COVID-19 pandemic created a regional opportunity to advance policies that support SDG 5 and SDG 8.
2. Partner Organization Capabilities: Selecting partners with a proven ability to navigate complex political and market systems. These organizations must possess legitimacy with both grassroots movements and government institutions to co-create sustainable solutions that strengthen public systems, in line with SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

Building Coalitions for Collective Impact (SDG 17)

Co-Impact operates on the principle that systemic change requires collaboration. The organization supports coalitions that bring together diverse actors—civil society, the private sector, media, and government—to achieve scalable and sustainable outcomes. An example is the initiative led by GIRE in Mexico, which works on sexual and reproductive rights (SDG 3, SDG 5). GIRE leads a coalition that:

• Utilizes strategic litigation to advance abortion rights.
• Collaborates with state-level grassroots groups to ensure effective implementation.
• Engages in narrative change through media campaigns to build broad-based support.

Addressing Unpaid Care Work to Advance Gender Equality and Economic Growth

The Interconnected Impact on SDGs 3, 4, and 8

Unpaid care work, performed predominantly by women, is a critical barrier to gender equality. This imbalance directly impacts several SDGs:

• SDG 4 (Quality Education): Many girls drop out of school to perform care duties, limiting their educational attainment.
• SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): In Mexico, 20 million women are unable to access paid employment due to unpaid care responsibilities. Young women are nearly four times more likely than young men to be out of education or employment, with motherhood being a key factor.
• SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): The burden of care contributes to higher stress levels and less sleep for women.

The Economic Case for Investing in Care Systems

Investing in care systems is essential for economic growth and gender equality. A well-functioning care system distributes responsibilities equitably, supporting progress on SDG 5 and SDG 8. In Mexico, the economic value of unpaid work is estimated at 7.2 trillion pesos, equivalent to 24% of the national GDP. This highlights care as a foundational economic sector that, when formalized and supported, can drive inclusive growth.

Funding and Partnership Model

Innovative Funding for Long-Term Change

Co-Impact employs a unique funding model designed to foster deep, strategic planning. The “design grant” provides organizations with a year of flexible funding to develop a comprehensive strategy for systems change, free from implementation deliverables. This approach is particularly valuable for gender-focused organizations that often lack resources for long-term planning.

Engaging the Private Sector and Philanthropy (SDG 17)

Co-Impact’s strategy involves expanding the pool of resources for gender equality rather than competing for existing funds. Key approaches include:

1. Private Sector Engagement: The private sector is encouraged to take a leading role in advancing gender equity and sustainability. With a growing emphasis on ESG standards and corporate human rights benchmarks, businesses are increasingly recognizing that sustainable practices are integral to long-term success.
2. Growing Philanthropy: Co-Impact aims to “grow the pie” for gender equality funding, which currently receives less than 1% of global development aid. By using a pooled funding model, it enables donors to support larger, longer-term grants that address the root causes of inequality.
3. Local Philanthropy: Fostering a culture of local philanthropy in Mexico is crucial for sustainable, long-term change, shifting the focus from charity to addressing systemic issues.

Integrating Gender and Climate Justice (SDG 13)

Corporate Accountability and Environmental Rights

Co-Impact supports initiatives in Mexico that link gender justice with climate action and corporate accountability, directly contributing to SDG 13 (Climate Action). These initiatives focus on:

• Building corporate human rights accountability frameworks, particularly in the extractive sector.
• Ensuring community participation and protecting the rights of Indigenous women, who are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation and excluded from decision-making.

Amplifying Women’s Leadership in Climate Solutions

A climate change lab supported in Mexico, led by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change, seeks to amplify women’s local and ancestral knowledge. This initiative recognizes that women are not only victims of climate change but also crucial agents of solutions, managing land, sustaining local agriculture, and safeguarding ecological practices. Empowering their leadership is essential for effective climate action.

Future Outlook in Mexico

Strengthening Partnerships and Demonstrating Impact

As a relatively new entity in the region, Co-Impact’s future strategy in Mexico focuses on:

• Demonstrating tangible results from its systems-change approach to attract new partners.
• Deepening collaboration with established funders and the private sector to co-fund projects and leverage resources.
• Utilizing Mexico’s relatively stable political environment to make meaningful progress on gender equality and related SDGs.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The article addresses health by focusing on strengthening health systems, discussing sexual and reproductive rights through the work of GIRE on abortion access, and highlighting the negative health impacts on women due to caregiving burdens (less sleep, higher stress) and environmental degradation from extractive industries.
• SDG 4: Quality Education: The article connects to this goal by pointing out that caregiving responsibilities are a direct barrier to education for girls. It states, “Many girls drop out of school to care for family members, which limits their education and future job opportunities.”
• SDG 5: Gender Equality: This is the central theme of the article. Co-Impact’s mission is to support women and girls by addressing systemic inequalities in health, education, and economic opportunity. The article extensively discusses the disproportionate burden of unpaid care work on women, the need for women’s participation in decision-making, and the fight for sexual and reproductive rights.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: The article links unpaid care work directly to women’s economic exclusion. It provides data on women leaving the workforce due to care duties, the high number of women unable to access paid employment, and the significant economic value of this unpaid labor, which, if recognized, would constitute a major part of the GDP.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The core mission of Co-Impact is to strengthen systems for “women and marginalized communities,” directly targeting the reduction of social and economic inequalities. The focus on care systems, economic opportunity, and human rights for women and Indigenous communities is aimed at promoting their social and economic inclusion.
• SDG 13: Climate Action: The article explicitly discusses the intersection of climate and gender justice. It mentions supporting a “climate change lab in Mexico” that aims to amplify women’s ancestral knowledge in managing land and agriculture, recognizing them as key holders of climate solutions. It also addresses the disproportionate impact of environmental degradation from extractive industries on women.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions: The article highlights the importance of strong institutions and access to justice. It describes organizations working to hold authorities accountable, using “strategic litigation to advance abortion rights,” and developing “corporate human rights accountability frameworks” to ensure companies operate with social and environmental responsibility.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: Co-Impact’s entire operational model is based on partnerships. The article emphasizes building “coalitions” involving civil society, the private sector, and media. It also discusses the strategy of “pooled funding” from diverse donors and the importance of engaging with both international and local philanthropy to “grow the pie” for gender equality funding.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Under SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being):
  • Target 3.7: By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services. This is directly addressed through the mention of GIRE, an organization leading a coalition to “advance abortion rights” and ensure “abortion access can be effectively implemented.”
• Under SDG 4 (Quality Education):
  • Target 4.5: By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable. The article supports this by identifying unpaid care work as a key reason “many girls drop out of school,” highlighting a major gender disparity that needs to be addressed.
• Under SDG 5 (Gender Equality):
  • Target 5.4: Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family. This is a primary focus of the article, which details how “Mexican women spend 67% of their total working time on care and unpaid work” and advocates for building a “national care system” where care is a “shared social responsibility.”
  • Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life. This is implied in the work with Indigenous communities where women are “excluded from decision-making spaces” regarding extractive projects, and the initiatives aim to build “mechanisms for community participation.”
  • Target 5.6: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights. This is explicitly mentioned through the work of GIRE on advancing abortion rights in Mexico and Latin America.
• Under SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth):
  • Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for work of equal value. The article directly addresses the barriers to this target, stating that “20 million women cannot access paid employment because they dedicate themselves to unpaid care work.”
  • Target 8.6: By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training (NEET). The article provides a key statistic related to this target: “young women are almost four times more likely to not study or work compared to young men in Mexico.”
• Under SDG 13 (Climate Action):
  • Target 13.b: Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities. The article describes a “climate change lab in Mexico” that works to “amplify women’s local, often ancestral, knowledge,” recognizing that women are key holders of solutions but their voices are overlooked.
• Under SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions):
  • Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all. This is exemplified by GIRE’s use of “strategic litigation to advance abortion rights,” which uses the legal system to ensure access to justice and rights.
  • Target 16.b: Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development. The work to ensure abortion access can be “effectively implemented across diverse local contexts” is an effort to enforce non-discriminatory policies.
• Under SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals):
  • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships. Co-Impact’s model is a direct example of this target. The article states, “Most Co-Impact initiatives operate as coalitions” and involve partnerships with “civil society, the private sector, consultancies, and media agencies.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator for Target 5.4 (Time spent on unpaid care work): The article provides precise data that serves as a baseline indicator: “Mexican women spend 67% of their total working time on care and unpaid work in the home, compared to 28% for men.” Progress would be measured by a reduction in this disparity.
• Indicator for Target 5.4 (Economic value of unpaid work): The article quantifies the economic contribution of unpaid work, which can be used as an indicator of its recognition: “unpaid work has an economic value of 7.2 trillion pesos in Mexico,” accounting for “24% of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).”
• Indicator for Target 8.5 (Women’s labor force participation): The article provides statistics that can be used as indicators of barriers to women’s employment: “30% to 40% of women who leave the workforce cite care responsibilities as the reason,” and “20 million women cannot access paid employment because they dedicate themselves to unpaid care work.”
• Indicator for Target 8.6 (Youth NEET rate): A direct indicator for this target is mentioned: “young women are almost four times more likely to not study or work compared to young men in Mexico.” Measuring the reduction of this ratio would indicate progress.
• Indicator for Target 5.6 (Access to reproductive health): While not a quantitative number, the article implies an indicator through the goal of ensuring “abortion access can be effectively implemented across diverse local contexts.” Progress could be measured by the number of states or municipalities where legal frameworks are successfully translated into accessible services.
• Indicator for SDG 13 (Women’s role in climate action): An implied indicator is the level of inclusion of women’s knowledge in climate policy. The climate change lab’s goal to “amplify women’s local, often ancestral, knowledge” suggests that progress could be measured by the extent to which this knowledge is integrated into formal climate solutions and decision-making processes.
• Indicator for SDG 17 (Partnerships): The article mentions Co-Impact has “over 50 funders worldwide” and operates through “coalitions.” The number and diversity of partners (public, private, civil society) engaged in these initiatives serve as a direct indicator of progress toward building multi-stakeholder partnerships.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: mexicobusiness.news