Technology for modernising waste management favours male workers. Urban development should focus on the needs of everyday people, instead of chasing aesthetic ideals and profit-making imperatives. By Josie Wittmer

Authoritarian governments have weaponised online tools and platforms to control journalists and stifle freedom of expression. By Gayathry Venkiteswaran

The "shadow pandemic" of sexual and gender-based violence during the Covid-19 crisis shows that it will be up to women themselves to topple the structural hurdles that have left them vulnerable. Fortunately, the past two years have shown that this is possible, with many examples revealing how all of society benefits. By Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Lilian Best

Women often get the short end of the stick in rural areas where energy access is poor. In the drive to improve energy access, directing finance to increase the participation of women in the energy sector is necessary. By Monika Merdekawati, Gabriella Ienanto and Crescencia Valentina