Introduction
Since 2017, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES-Thailand), Office of The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC-Thailand) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) together with partners including Ministry of Education, UNESCAP, FAO, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNWOMEN, APT, AIBD, CISCO, Huawei, DTAC, Chulalongkorn University, Thammasat University, CCKDM, NECTEC, Code.org, DCT, Supernap, Japan Brand Communication and GIC (AIT) have been running a capacity building program aimed at imparting employable digital skills to girls and young women in Thailand training more than 1650 female students. In 2023, Girls in ICT Day celebration in Thailand was conducted in hybrid mode (face to face and virtual) from April to July . Over 1000 girls and young women participated in the three different digital skills training programme tracks, including digital inclusion, digital skills, and ICT career development.
This year's initiative will incorporate focus on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2023 (SDG), particularly through the United Nations Global Compact Thailand's (UNGCT) support for SDG 5: Gender Equality. UNGCT's goal of supporting the SDGs, especially SDG 5: Gender Equality as well as the vision to promote and raise awareness on SDG, use of technology and innovation, specifically in the area of Artificial Intelligence, and developing young leaders aligns seamlessly Girls in ICT Thailand's theme of 'Leadership', focusing on empowering girls and young women in ICT to take on leadership roles and contribute towards closing the gender gap in STEM fields.
Building on the past successes in Thailand, the ITU would like to invite Office of the NBTC, MDES, partners from UN agencies, industry, and academia to co-organize and prepare for the 2024 Girls in ICT celebration.
