Publications

Women’s conversations are often dismissed as “chatter”—seen as trivial and not worth recording. Yet these everyday exchanges are spaces where collective knowledge is shaped and shared, where culture lives, and where quiet forms of resistance emerge.

At the same time, climate change is often framed as a distant, technical issue, even though it is felt in daily life—in water, food, and movement. Here, “chatter” becomes a lens for understanding: stories that circulate and evolve, revealing climate not as an abstract concept, but as a lived reality—and opening space to rethink justice from within everyday experience.

In Egypt, low female labor force participation and rising informality have pushed many women toward micro-scale digital entrepreneurship as a flexible alternative. Building on the 2023 policy brief by the Access to Knowledge for Development Center (A2K4D) and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Egypt, this research focuses on a critical gap: skills development for women informal digital entrepreneurs. By highlighting digital, business, and soft skills, the study explores how capacity-building efforts can better respond to women’s real needs and strengthen their participation in Egypt’s growing digital economy.

The agricultural sector plays a vital role in Egypt’s economy and food security, employing a large share of the workforce. Yet, agricultural workers—especially those in informal and seasonal jobs—continue to face fragile conditions and limited access to social protection. This paper highlights the need for more inclusive policies and a just transition approach that better supports and protects these workers.