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Girls in ICT Day puts priority on access and safety

​This Thursday, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will celebrate International Girls in ICT Day, observed annually during the last week of April, with a focus on ‘Access and Safety’ as key elements to engage the next generation with information and communication technology (ICT).

This year’s theme reflects the world’s shared interest in empowering youth and girls to safely benefit from an active digital life.

ITU recognizes the need to ensure girls and women enjoy equal access to digital learning opportunities, particularly in least developed countries.

According to ITU’s latest data, globally, 57 per cent of women use the Internet compared to 62 per cent of men. And worldwide only 30 per cent of tech science and technology professionals are women. If women are unable to access the Internet and do not feel safe online, they are unable to develop the necessary digital skills and engage in digital spaces, which diminishes their opportunities to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) related fields.

“Girls in ICT Day is a call to action to inspire the next generation of young women and girls to enter STEM careers,” said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. “I call on all government, business, university leaders and others to do their utmost to support young women and girls and give them the chance to achieve their dreams.”

Growing global participation

The global celebration and associated worldwide Girls in ICT Day events underline ITU’s commitment to encourage girls and young women everywhere to consider pursuing STEM career paths.

To date, over 600,000 girls and young women have taken part in more than 12,000 celebrations of Girls in ICT Day in 195 countries worldwide.

“All over the world, girls and young women want to join the digital revolution. When we remove barriers of access and safety, women and girls can make remarkable contributions to and be empowered by ICTs. To put it simply: tech needs girls, and girls need tech,” said Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau. “Through International Girls in ICT Day, we want to use the power of partnerships to stimulate solutions and innovation. We invite partners to join the Partner2Connect Digital Coalition to help bridge key gaps to ensure the active participation of girls in ICT related careers, and achieve our goal of fostering meaningful connectivity and digital transformation globally.”

Girls in ICT Day programme for 2022

An interactive global dialogue hosted on 28 April on ICT access and safety for girls will take place as part of the 2022 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum.

ITU regional offices are holding Girls in ICT Day events to encourage girls and young women everywhere to learn about technology and find STEM career paths:


Related partnerships and initiatives

ITU and its partners from all sectors and levels work together on developing solutions and ideas to lower barriers and improve safety online. ITU’s Partner2Connect provides a model of multisectoral cooperation and creativity to support girls and their communities everywhere.

Girls in ICT Day links closely to ITU’s Generation Connect, to engage global youth and encourage their participation as equal partners alongside the leaders of today’s digital change, empowering young people with the skills and opportunities to advance their vision of a connected future.

Resources and background information:

Social media pack:


Trello Board

To take part:

Sign up for the panel discussion here.

Find ideas on how to or​ganize a Girls in ICT Day activity with ITU’s toolkit.

Submit your event or activity on our Girls in ICT Day portal to help track the global movement and share the impact.

For more information, please visit:

https://www.itu.int/women-and-girls/girls-in-ict/

https://www.itu.int/generationconnect/generation-connect/

https://www.itu.int/itu-d/sites/partner2connect/ 

Discover what others are saying on social media and join the conversation by searching and posting with the hashtag #GirlsinICT

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