New at ICRW

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From: International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) <International_Center_for_Researc@mail.vresp.com>
Date: Thu, Oct 21, 2010 at 2:03 PM
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International Center for Research on Women
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Commentary: A Less Visible Solution to Hunger


One reason global food security strategies continue to fall short is that they don't recognize the on-the-ground realities of women farmers. Gender inequality cannot be an afterthought to our food security strategies. It must be the linchpin. More »

 

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ICRW's mission is to empower women, advance gender equality and fight poverty in the developing world. To accomplish this, ICRW works with partners to conduct empirical research, build capacity and advocate for evidence-based, practical ways to change policies and programs.

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Targeting Poverty and Gender Inequality to Improve Maternal Health


The realities and needs of poor women must be the central drivers of policies and programs designed to increase maternal healthcare access and utilization. More »

PERSPECTIVES BLOG

 

 ETH
 


Photo © Jeffrey Edmeades/ICRW
 
 A Note from Ethiopia

Quiet Determination
A Child Bride Chooses Her Own Path

A young woman escapes her forced child marriage to return to school. More »


 Beads
 

Photo © Meredith Saggers/ICRW
 

Roadside Beads

Maasai Women Create Their Own Market

A roadside stall represents the ambition, hard work and camaraderie of women who, when given a few resources, have the power to change their own lives. More »

ICRW Media Coverage

Child Marriage: The Easiest Vote in Congress

The Washington Post, America's Next Great Pundit Contest  on Oct. 20

As part of a blog series for the Washington Post's America's Next Great Pundit Contest, Conor Williams discusses why Congress should pass the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act. The post quotes ICRW's Senior Policy Advocate Dan Martin who explains how addressing child marriage will ensure more effective use of existing funds for development goals such as girls' education and maternal health.  More »


Help for Africa’s Women Farmers Combats Poverty

america.gov on Oct. 13

The Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State writes about the untapped potential of women farmers, who grow most of the crops and perform most of the farm labor in much of the developing world. ICRW senior gender and agriculture specialist, David Kauck, is quoted in the article and discusses women's lack of equal access to resources and their inability to capture much of the gains of their labor.  More »


International Conference on Alcohol and HIV

Times of India on Oct. 8

The Times of India reports on the Second International Conference on Alcohol and HIV. Researchers, including ICRW's Ravi Verma, have called for multilevel community-based approaches and a focus on gender for combating pervasive alcohol use and the resulting HIV transmission.   More »

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mWomen Conference Notes

Click here to download:
mWomen.docx (16 KB)
(download)

Dear all,

Meaghan and I attended a conference at the State Department on empowering women (health, education, entrepreneurship and financial opportunities)  in the developing world through mobile technology. As panelists pointed out, this makes both very good business and social development sense.

mWomen brings together the public sector (i.e. U.S. State Department, Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the mobile phone industry (i.e. Nokia, AT&T)  and NGO sectors to implement this dynamic initiative. www.mwomen.org

Here’s a study done in collaboration with the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women with interesting and important findings that advocate for more women using mobile technology: http://www.gsmworld.com/documents/women_mobile.pdf  Mrs. Blair was also present at the conference.  

Attached are notes in bullet form from the conference. Please let Meaghan and I know if you have any questions.

Thanks,

Clare

____________________________

(Clare) Ye Sheng
Program Officer
Education Programs Division
IREX <www.irex.org>
2121 K St., NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20037
TEL: (202) 628-8188 x164
FAX: (202) 628-8189
E-MAIL: csheng@irex.org

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Because I am a Girl: Digital and Urban Frontiers

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Drusilla Menaker

Director, Communities of Practice/IREX

Senior Media Advisor/IREX

Associate Director/IREX Europe

E: dmenaker@irex.org

T: +1 845 664 4729

Skype: drusillamenaker

Twitter: @irexmedia @drumenaker

www.irex.org

www.europe.irex.org

Girls and ICTs: New ICT4D Report on Digital and Urban Frontiers for Girls

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Oct 18, 2010 04:00 am | Linda Raftree

The urban and digital environments are the 21st century's fastest-growing spheres. Both offer enormous potential for girls around the world, but prejudice and poverty exclude millions of girls from taking advantages of the transformative possibilities that cities and information and communication technologies (ICTs) can offer. Exploitation and the threat of violence exist in both urban spaces and in cyberspace, especially for the most marginalized and vulnerable girls.

Since 2007, Plan has published annual reports on the state of the world's girls. The 2010 'Because I am a Girl report' is called Digital and Urban Frontiers: Girls in a Changing Landscape. It focuses on girls in these two rapidly expanding spaces: the urban and the digital.

The piece that I'm most interested is the segment on Girls and ICTs, since that's the main area I currently work on. (Disclosure: I contributed to the development of the chapter). To give you a taste of what's in the report, here's a summary of Chapter 4: Adolescent girls and communications technologies - opportunity or exploitation. You can download the full report here.

Chapter 4′s introduction explains that online behaviors mimic offline behaviors.  Empowerment and abuse of girls reveals itself through technology as it does in other areas of girls' lives. Through girls own voices, expert opinion and original research, the report highlights the positive and negative consequences of ICTs, in particular mobile phones and the Internet.

The authors talk about the positive ideas and new ways of thinking that ICTs open up for girls in terms of learning, networking, campaigning and personal development. They then discuss the darker side of technology - how cyberspace makes it easier for sexual predators to operate with impunity, where girls are prime targets for abuse, and where girls are sometimes perpetrators themselves.

Section Two offers girl-related statistics on the digital revolution and the digital divide and highlights the enormous variation between and within countries in terms of digital access, and the gaps between rich and poor, male and female, urban and rural.  The report cautions that excluding girls from the digital revolution will have consequences on their growth and development. For additional global ICT statistics (1998-2009) see this post at ICT4D blog. Another resource on mobiles and women is the Cherie Blair study.

Section Three describes and provides statistics around 7 important reasons that ICTs are important to adolescent girls:

1.    To keep in touch with others and reduce isolation in countries where this is an issue

2.    To further their education and acquire new skills

3.    To take an active part in their communities and countries

4.    In order to have the skills to find work

5.    To build specific skills and knowledge on subjects they might otherwise not know about, such as HIV and AIDS

6.    Because evidence has shown that learning to use these technologies can build self-esteem

7.    In order to keep safe

Section Four goes in depth around ways that adolescent girls compete with adolescent boys for the most use of communications technologies such as mobiles and the Internet, but that often they are using them for different reasons and different purposes. Most of the available research for this chapter is from the 'North', yet the studies indicate that girls tend to use ICTs for communication and boys tend toward a focus on the technology itself. Studies on this from the 'South' are unavailable to date.


When girls are treated as real partners....

Section Five discusses the barriers that keep adolescent girls from accessing ICTs. In other words, if the importance of ICTs has been established, girls are willing and able and keen to use ICTs, then what prevents them from having equal access to ICTs? Some of the issues that the chapter discusses are those of power and control.

I can immediately call the wholesale market to inquire about prices and place direct orders. I am now recognized as a businesswoman, growing and selling sesame seeds, not just as somebody's wife or sister,' said a woman in India.

'You're a girl - a mobile can cause many problems, and so you don't need it,' said the father of a Palestinian girl.

Girls' access to technology is limited by their societies, communities and families. In patriarchal societies where men control technology, girls and women simply have less access, because ICT's confer power on the user. Even in educational settings, a study found that boys tend to hog available ICTs. Teachers have distinct expectations from boys vs. girls. Girls also don't tend to go into the field of ICTs or want to have ICT careers, since the field is typically a male field.

'Technology appears to be marketed by men for men. It's time we started switching bright and talented girls on to science and technology,' comments a British government official.

Women and girls in developing countries however are not receiving the basic education and training that they need to be ready technology adopters. They are seen as users and receivers of technology, not as innovators involved in technology design and development. Once they are computer literate, however, many young women see the computer industry as a route to independence. The report offers statistics on the numbers of young women in countries like South Africa, India, Malaysia and Brazil who are working in the ICT related industries and professions.

What stops girls from using technology?

There are seven key factors that prevent girls from taking advantage of technology:

1.    Discrimination - girls are still viewed as second-class citizens in many societies.

2.    Numbers - boys both outnumber girls and tend to dominate access to computers.

3.    Confidence - because they don't have equal access at school, girls may be less confident than boys when it comes to going into IT jobs because they don't feel they have the same skills and knowledge as the young men competing for the jobs.

4.    Language - in order to use these technologies, English is usually a requirement, and for girls with only basic literacy in their own language, this is a major barrier.

5.    Time - girls' domestic roles, even at a young age, mean they have less free time than boys to explore and experiment with new technologies.

6.    Money - girls are less likely than their brothers to have the financial resources to pay for, say, a mobile phone and its running costs, or access to the web in an internet café.

7.    Freedom - boys are also more likely to be allowed to use internet cafés because parents are concerned about their daughters going out on their own.

Section Six digs into the dark side of cyberspace and the risks that adolescent are exposed to at a time of their lives when they are beginning to develop sexually. One in 5 women report having been sexually abused before the age of 15, according to the authors. The Internet by and large is simply a new medium for old kinds of bad behavior, however; and new technologies simply extend the possibility of abuse to new arenas. Girls who are not even using the Internet are still vulnerable, given that a photo of them can be taken and posted by someone else even if they have no computer access. Cyberbullying and cyberharrassment are other risks that girls face.

Many young people and youth organizations are active in facing these risks and protecting themselves, and various campaigns exist to help adolescent girls be more aware of how to protect themselves while using ICTs. New technology can itself also be a tool to help with counter-trafficking efforts. The chapter outlines some of the different efforts being made to protect girls online, and emphasizes the role of parents and schools in discussing on-line use and being supportive as girls begin exploring cyberspace.

There is a quite broad set of recommendations for a wide array of actors at the end of Chapter 4 that could be taken up, contextualized and fleshed out by different parties or stakeholders into specific calls to action:

Brazilian girls in a digital world. As an annex to Chapter 4 on ICTs, new research with 49 boys and 44 girls, aged 10-14 examines adolescent girls' rights and protection in Brazil within the context of ICTs. ICT use is growing exponentially in Brazil, particularly among 15-17 year olds, where between 2005 and 2008, ICT usage went from 33.7 to 62.9 percent. The study covers use pattern, links between on-line and off-line behavior, and on-line safety.

Conclusions. The report concludes by calling for greater knowledge about ICT-related sexual exploitation and violence against girls, more emphasis on prevention and stronger international standards. It also points out that girls need to be empowered to use new communications technologies safely, on their own terms, and in ways that promote their development and build their futures.

Resources

This post was originally published as Because I am a Girl 2010: Girls and ICTs

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[epdirex] FW: Q&A Live Discussion: Global Trafficking in Persons

From: epdirex@yahoogroups.com [mailto:epdirex@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Tova Pertman
Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 2:20 PM
To: 'epdirex@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [epdirex] FW: Q&A Live Discussion: Global Trafficking in Persons

 

Dear Colleagues,

 Please share the below invitation about the upcoming Q & A live webchat on the topic of Global Trafficking in Persons (TIP) with UGRAD & Muskie alumni in your respective countries.  Many thanks!

 Best,

Tova 

 

 

From: Grad, Karene E [mailto:GradKE@state.gov]
Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 9:11 AM
To: Tova Pertman
Cc: Rebecca Bell
Subject: FW: Q&A Live Discussion: Global Trafficking in Persons

[Dear Tova,  Please forward the following announcement to UGRAD participants and alumni, who are invited to join the conversation at https://alumni.state.gov . Thanks!  -- Karene ]

Dear Exchange Program Alumni and Participants:

Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, senior advisor to Secretary Clinton and director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, will join the State Alumni community for a Q&A Live webchat on global trafficking in persons (TIP) on Thursday, October 28, 2010, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. EDT* (New York City) or 14:00 - 15:00 GMT** (London, England).

Ambassador CdeBaca welcomes questions on the State Department’s efforts to protect trafficking victims, to prosecute traffickers, and to prevent trafficking. Ambassador CdeBaca will also discuss specific strategies, activities and programs in which alumni can participate or implement to increase awareness and to combat TIP in their own communities.  Visit State Alumni for more information or to submit a question now or at any time during the event: https://alumni.state.gov/news2/qa-live.

Kind regards,

The State Alumni Team

* EDT - Eastern Daylight Time (New York City)
** GMT - Greenwich Mean Time (London)
Time zone convertor:
http://www.timezoneconverter.com/cgi-bin/tzc.tzc

 

 

 

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Check out "Not Your Mother’s Pen Pal: Volunteer with World Pulse to make lasting connections with inspiring women around the world through the power of Web 2.0" on Peace and Collaborative Development Network

Building Bridges, Networks and Expertise Across Sectors

Craig Zelizer

Craig Zelizer

Check out the blog post 'Not Your Mother’s Pen Pal: Volunteer with World Pulse to make lasting connections with inspiring women around the world through the power of Web 2.0'

Blog post added by Lydia Holden:


Are you a worldly soul who would like to use social media to create a positive vision? Then join a global movement of women who are harness...

Blog post link:

Not Your Mother’s Pen Pal: Volunteer with World Pulse to make lasting connections with inspiring women around the world through the power of Web 2.0

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Mobile Justice for Women

“…we are in the early stages of developing an idea we are calling Mobile Justice to help women in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where sexual violence against women occurs at a horrific rate. In many parts of that country the police and court systems have disintegrated, so women who are attacked have no way to get justice. They can't even realistically travel to the urban centers where courts have been reestablished. But these cell phones give women the ability to collect evidence and record and transmit their testimony, so women in rural areas may be able to bring justice to them.” -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

Secretary Clinton and Cherie Blair Deliver Remarks at Launch of GSMA mWomen Program

Posted by DipNote Bloggers / October 07, 2010

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Former British First Lady Cherie Blair delivered remarks today on international support for increasing women's access to mobile technology. The event launched the GSMA mWomen Program, a project of the GSMA Development Fund and the Cherie Blair Foundation, to promote mobile technologies as tools for women's empowerment and international development.

Secretary Clinton said, "Now, we know that it goes without saying, it is so obvious, that mobile technology has reshaped the way that people work, learn, and communicate. And here at the State Department, it has also changed how we pursue our twin missions of diplomacy and development. We are using cell phones and mobile applications to help us coordinate disaster relief, track the results of our global health programs, engage directly with people whose contact with us would otherwise be only second- or third-hand, and advance our work around the world in dozens of other ways. And we know we are just scratching the surface.

"But as excited as we are by how mobile technology can help us improve our work, we're even more excited about how it can help you and millions of others around the world improve what you do and empower more people to become full participants in their own societies. Mobile technology can accelerate economic development. With a cell phone, a farmer in Sub-Saharan Africa can learn how to protect her crops from pests that would otherwise destroy a harvest. An entrepreneur in Latin America can more easily obtain a business license or communicate with a mentor or a customer. A woman in Asia can use her mobile banking to control her family finances or budget for school fees or save for a new house.

"And we also know that mobile technology can improve governance and strengthen democratic institutions. For example, in the recent voting on a constitution in Kenya, where previous elections had led to violence, peace was maintained, thanks in part to technology that tallied ballots in real-time. Mobile technology fosters health and education, especially in places where systems do not yet exist. With cell phones, expectant mothers who live nowhere near a clinic can still receive prenatal health tips. Students whose teachers rarely show up at school can still move ahead with their lessons.

"...And we are developing an innovative program that addresses the particular needs of women. For example, we are in the early stages of developing an idea we are calling Mobile Justice to help women in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where sexual violence against women occurs at a horrific rate. In many parts of that country the police and court systems have disintegrated, so women who are attacked have no way to get justice. They can't even realistically travel to the urban centers where courts have been reestablished. But these cell phones give women the ability to collect evidence and record and transmit their testimony, so women in rural areas may be able to bring justice to them.

"Or to give another example, we recently held a contest called Apps 4 Africa to reward local mobile developers in four African countries whose apps are helping to advance prosperity and stability in ingenious ways. One of the winners is a program called Mamakiba, a budgeting app that helps low-income pregnant women save and prepay for prenatal care and the costs of delivery. By helping women manage the cost of this care, we can increase the chance that they will receive care and protect both their health and the health of newborns.

"...So I want to applaud the mWomen initiative for recognizing the importance of this cross-cutting issue and to convey the strong support of the State Department and USAID as you pursue your goal of reducing by 50 percent the gender gap in the next three years. Several mobile networks in developing countries, including Vodaphone, Telefonica, Roshan, and Mobitel, have pledged significant support for increasing women's access, for example, by developing apps designed for women and training programs as well. We cannot do this without private sector leadership, and we applaud all of the companies that have already stepped forward and ask others to join us in this effort. We're working with governments and international organizations. My friend, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf from Liberia and a global champion for mWomen, has sent her minister of Gender Equality and Development, Minister Gayflor, to join us here today to discuss how Liberia and the United States can work together. USAID has committed to partner with GSMA and the Gates Foundation through existing mobile initiatives on health, education, and agriculture. And additionally, the United States will continue to support civil society organizations that advocate for women's rights to undo constrictions on their ability to use technology freely. We really are believers in the freedom to connect. So today's launch of the mWomen Initiative is another big step on the road to gender equality, the freedom to connect, and all the opportunities that flow from it."

You can read the full transcript here. For more information about the initiative, click here.

Secretary Clinton on Mentoring Women and Girls

A great quote from Secretary Clinton, which speaks directly to Tech Age Girls and some of IREX’s other program models:

"I am a firm believer in the power of mentoring. There are women and girls in our country and around the world who have the talent, the intellect, the drive to succeed, but who lack the support. I have become convinced that talent is universal, but opportunity is not. And you never know when what you do or say can open that door to opportunity for someone who is ready to walk through it, but could not get under, around, or over it without your help. And still in too many places, support for women is in short supply. But through mentoring, we can help meet that need. And it's low-cost, high-impact, and deeply rewarding."

Secretary Clinton Delivers Remarks at the 12th Annual Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit

Posted by DipNote Bloggers / October 06, 2010

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered remarks at the 12th Annual Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit on October 6 in Washington, DC. Secretary Clinton spoke about the power of mentoring, and supporting women and girls.

The Secretary said, "I am a firm believer in the power of mentoring. There are women and girls in our country and around the world who have the talent, the intellect, the drive to succeed, but who lack the support. I have become convinced that talent is universal, but opportunity is not. And you never know when what you do or say can open that door to opportunity for someone who is ready to walk through it, but could not get under, around, or over it without your help. And still in too many places, support for women is in short supply. But through mentoring, we can help meet that need. And it's low-cost, high-impact, and deeply rewarding."

"[I]t might seem that an executive in the United States and an entrepreneur from a village in Bangladesh or a crowded slum in Kenya do not have enough in common to connect meaningfully through mentoring. But in fact, we do. We are connected by shared experiences and aspirations no matter the circumstances of our lives. And through global mentoring programs, we can replicate one of those shared experiences, one that happens every day in countless places around the world, women coming together to support each other and to see how we can together make progress."

Secretary Clinton continued, "Last year in Mumbai, I visited a shop owned and operated by women selling crafts and textiles, most of whom come from the very lowest socioeconomic stratum, all of whom are organized through one of the most effective women's organizations in the world, the Self-Employed Women's Association known as SEWA. I've worked with SEWA for many years. I have literally seen the transformation in lives that banding together has catalyzed in individual women's lives."

"I also, last summer, went to -- went back to Cape Town, and for the third time, I visited a group of women who, on their own, transformed their position as squatters into homeowners and then community leaders. I'd already been to one of the housing developments that these women through their own sweat equity had created, and this time I went to the second housing development that they are starting. The women that I have come to know don't have much education, but they are among the most powerful and effective women I have ever met. And they have created now two thriving communities where before there was apathy if not despair."

She continued, "Now, we are just beginning a new initiative called TechWomen that I announced in April during the President's Entrepreneurship Summit here in Washington. Through TechWomen, we will match women in Muslim-majority countries with women working in tech companies here in the U.S. And we will send American mentors to their proteges' countries to engage on a wider scale with the people there. We obviously want to harness one of America's great strengths -- our excellence in technology and innovation -- and use it to build effective and lasting partnerships with rising women leaders in Muslim countries. And I invite you to participate in that."

"We're also partnering with companies to support women, and indeed, working with the private sector is such a critical element that I want to mention just one of our public-private partnerships. You'll be hearing from Andrea Jung later today, and earlier this year, the Avon Foundation made a grant of $500,000 to the Secretary's Fund for Global Women's Leadership to accelerate the fight against the global epidemic of violence against women. And I want to thank Andrea and Avon for that. We are using this money to identify and support local programs that are addressing this epidemic."

You can read the full transcript here.

BBC E-mail: Iceland &#039;top for gender equality&#039;

Clare Sheng saw this story on the BBC News website and thought you
should see it.


** Iceland 'top for gender equality' **
Iceland remains the country that has the greatest equality between men and women, says the World Economic Forum.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/news/business-11517459

Iceland 'best country for gender equality'

Iceland remains the country that has the greatest equality between men and women, according to an annual report by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

It is the second year in succession that Iceland has topped the foundation's Global Gender Gap Report.

Nordic nations dominate the top of the list of 134 countries, with Norway in second place and Finland third.

The report measures equity in the areas of politics, education, employment and health.

Sweden is in fourth place, with New Zealand fifth.

"Nordic countries continue to lead the way in eliminating gender inequality," said Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum.

"Low gender gaps are directly correlated with high economic competitiveness. Women and girls must be treated equally if a country is to grow and prosper."

The UK came 15th in the latest rankings - no change from 2009.

France was one of the biggest fallers, down to 46th place from 18th in 2009. WEF that said was a result of a decline in the number of women holding ministerial positions in the French government.

Meanwhile the US has risen to 19th place from 31st in 2009, because of a higher number of women in President Obama's administration and a reduction in the country's gender pay gap.

It means the US overtakes Canada to become the best-performing country in either North or South America.

At the bottom of the list of 134 countries, the widest gaps between women and men are in Pakistan (132), Chad (133) and Yemen (134).

WEF said that across all the nations surveyed, the divisions between men and women were lowest in health and education, but highest when it comes to economic participation and opportunity.

Ricardo Hausmann, co-author of the report and director of the Centre for International Development at Harvard University, said: "Progress will be achieved when countries seek to reap returns on the investment in health and education of girls and women by finding ways to make marriage and motherhood compatible with the economic participation of women."

Lesotho was the best performing African country, ranking eighth, up from 10th place in 2009. The Philippines continues to lead the way in Asia, remaining in ninth position.

Lowest gender gaps in 2010

1 Iceland - no change from 2009

2 Norway - Up from 3rd

3 Finland - Down from 2nd

4 Sweden - No change

5 New Zealand - No change

6 Republic of Ireland - Up from 8th

7 Denmark - No change

8 Lesotho - Up from 10th

9 Philippines - No change

10 Switzerland - Up from 13th

11 Spain - Up from 17th

12 South Africa - Down from 6th

13 Germany - Down from 12th

14 Belgium - Up from 33rd

15 UK - No change

Source: World Economic Forum

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