“In this pandemic, we have witnessed new leaderships, individual and collective, which show that human beings have a great capacity to reinvent themselves and thus overcome adversity, no matter how painful or costly it may be. Women have proven it and I am sure that throughout each territory, in the midst of this crisis, those women heads of households, those women entrepreneurs, those neighbourhood or community leaders, those executives, those managers or those women leaders of organizations that have reinvented and challenged themselves, have appeared with a redoubled sensitivity and keen intelligence”. These were the words of Mrs Artola, the General Manager, Central Bank of Ecuador whicle discussing the topic – Building Back Transformed Economies Post COVID 19 in an Exclusive interview with the Amazons Watch Magazine.

The COVID‑19 pandemic is harming health, social and economic well-being worldwide, with women at the centre. From leading the health response to shouldering much of the burden at home caused by the pandemic, women have been at the forefront of fighting the virus. In a recent interview with the Amazons Watch magazine, the first lady of Paraguay, HE Silvano Abdo gave her thoughts on the role of women in the pandemic and many more issues. Excerpts.

Women will be the minority in almost all if a random survey of board rooms is taken, and in statistics where you are in the minority, growing your influence and power takes time. With over two decades in the banking industry, Reinette Van der Merwe earned the title of being the only woman in the boardroom, and she was the only woman most of the time. In this interview with Amazons Watch magazine, she shares her thoughts on this and other issues. Excerpts:

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is impacting everyone, but some are more likely to have a drastic impact than others. Recent data from UNFPA show that the economic and physical disruption, engendered by the disease, have a more catastrophic impact on women and girls around the world with evidence of an increase in violence against women and girls, the world over.