Girls in ICTs event for Arab States
Access and Safety
28 April, 11:00-12:00 CEST | Virtual
Background
Every year, the International Day of Girls in ICTs is celebrated to raise awareness about the gender digital divide and to support skills development and technology education, with the aim of encouraging young women to further pursue education as well as a professional career in the STEM field, particularly in the ICT sector. Given the successful initiative of establishing a year-long programming and activities, implemented in 2021 for celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Girls in ICTs Day, ITU will continue the efforts to promote Girls in ICT throughout 2022 with annual thematic priorities, around the theme of this year's girl in ICTs 'Access and Safety', which constitutes an initial step for girls to access the digital environment.
Within this context, the Girls in ICTs event for Arab will take place in coordination with the Regional Network of Women (NoW), created to provide a neutral platform of exchange of information between experienced and new female delegates. This event will aim to connect women regulators and ministers within the Arab Network of Women with young women and girls to share their experiences, acting as role models to inspire them to pursue a career in tech. The event will also count on the active participation of the Generation Connect Arab Youth Group, the group of 20 youth envoys actively engaged in policymaking towards digital transformation in line with the ITU Youth strategy, and will benefit from the outcomes of the Arab Digital Youth Jam, the Arab region event towards the Generation Connect Global Youth Summit, where youth envoys and leaders gathered to discuss initiatives, opportunities and challenges related to gender equality and the empowerment of girls and young women in the digital world, including through fostering digital skills required in the STEM field.
Key objectives
The main objective of this event will be to inspire and meaningfully engage girls and young women in the Arab States to pursue an education and career in the STEM field, by presenting first-hand experiences from high representatives from the Arab Regional Network of Women, governments, sector members and NGO. It will also aim to shed some light on the challenges and opportunities for Arab girls and young women to take an active role in the ICT sectors
