UN Commission on the Status of Girls reaffirms the function of technologies and innovation, and education in the digital age in accelerating gender equality – Planet

New York City — The 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Girls (CSW67)— the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality, the empowerment of all ladies and girls and their human rights—efficiently closed its two-week lengthy session these days (six to 17 March) with the acknowledgment of the important function of technologies and innovation in attaining gender equality. The agreed conclusions adopted by Member States give a blueprint for all stakeholders, which incorporates governments, the private sector, civil society and youth to market place the full and equal participation and leadership of ladies and girls in the style, transformation and integration of digital technologies and innovation processes that fulfill the human rights and desires of ladies and girls.

At the conclusion of the negotiations, UN Girls Executive Director, Sima Bahous, stated: “This year’s Agreed Conclusions are game-altering and bring forward our vision of a added equal and connected planet for ladies and girls in all their diversity. It is our job, as we leave correct right here these days, to translate them into reality. The ultimate achievement of these Agreed Conclusions lies beyond their finalization these days, in how we will collectively take them forward. They bring us a vision of a added equal planet. Let us translate them into reality for all ladies and girls.”

CSW67 reaffirmed the significance of ladies and girls’ full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership in science, technologies and innovation, and expressed concern on the restricted progress in closing the gender gap in access to and use of technologies, connectivity, digital literacy and education. It also expressed grave concern about the continuity and interrelation amongst offline and on the web violence, harassment and discrimination against ladies and girls and condemned the increase of such acts.

The Commission referred to as for significantly elevated public and private sector investments to bridge the gender digital divide, added inclusive innovation eco-systems, and the promotion of protected and gender-responsive technologies and innovation. It also referred to as for inclusive and equitable higher high quality education in science, technologies, engineering, and mathematics, information and communications technologies and digital literacy to assure that all ladies and girls can thrive in a swiftly altering planet.

Initiatives to market place innovation and technological modify, and education in the digital age for attaining gender equality will have to take into account the following:

• Make digital tools and options to address the desires of all ladies and girls, across sectors and geographies, especially for their education, general wellness, monetary empowerment and engagement in public life, and assure ladies and girls have access to digital literacy and skills all by way of their life course.

• Mainstream gender in digital policies to take away barriers to equal access for all ladies and girls, which incorporates these living in poverty, in rural, maritime or remote places, with disabilities, Indigenous ladies and girls, migrant ladies and girls, and older ladies.

• Foster a policy of zero tolerance for gender-mainly primarily based violence that takes place by indicates of or is amplified by the use of technologies and assure that public and private sector entities prioritize its prevention and elimination.

• Mainstream a gender point of view in the style of emerging technologies and adopt regulations to assure they are subject to enough safeguards to combat new dangers, gender stereotypes and adverse social norms, information and facts privacy breaches and increase transparency and accountability.

• Market place policies and programmes to get gender parity in emerging scientific and technological fields and create supportive workplaces and education settings, which incorporates by indicates of gender-responsive education, distance studying choices and interdisciplinary approaches combining the teaching of social sciences and scientific fields.

• Make gender-responsive innovation that challenges gender stereotypes and adverse social norms, which incorporates by indicates of the improvement of digital content material material, awareness campaigns and teaching competencies for excellent engagement on digital technologies that engage, educate, encourage and empowers youth, which incorporates young males and boys, to turn into agents of modify for gender equality.

The 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Girls took place against the backdrop of continued backlash against women’s rights globally, from elevated violence against ladies in the public space, to the gender impacts of the earthquakes in Syria and Turkiye, to the just about every day horror that ladies and girls face in emergency and crisis settings which incorporates in Afghanistan, Ukraine and Iran.

In the 1st entirely in-person session following three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, CSW67 registered truly larger numbers with added than 7,000 participants, which incorporates 4 heads of state and government and 116 ministers, 205 side events on UN premises, and about 700 NGO parallel events.

For the 1st time, the session integrated an interactive youth session with young men and women, youth representatives of delegations, civil society and United Nations organizations , engaging in dialogue and delivering recommendations on how to assure young ladies and girls are portion of the digital transformation. The Commission also benefited from crucial contributions from a wide range of civil society organizations which incorporates the leaders and commitment makers of the Action Coalition on Technologies and Innovation for Gender Equality, launched as portion of the Generation Equality Forum. The Action Coalition on Technologies and Innovation for Gender Equality has created a essential contribution in cementing alliances amongst Governments, private sector, civil society and the UN approach and in driving momentum and commitments to advance gender equality by indicates of technologies and innovation.