UN Commission on the Status of Ladies 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 Ladies (CSW67)— the UN’s biggest annual gathering on gender equality, the empowerment of all girls and girls and their human rights—effectively closed its two-week extended session currently (six to 17 March) with the acknowledgment of the vital function of technologies and innovation in reaching gender equality. The agreed conclusions adopted by Member States deliver a blueprint for all stakeholders, like governments, the private sector, civil society and youth to market the complete and equal participation and leadership of girls and girls in the design and style, transformation and integration of digital technologies and innovation processes that fulfill the human rights and desires of girls and girls.

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

CSW67 reaffirmed the value of girls and girls’ complete, 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 in between offline and on-line violence, harassment and discrimination against girls and girls and condemned the boost of such acts.

The Commission named for substantially enhanced public and private sector investments to bridge the gender digital divide, additional inclusive innovation eco-systems, and the promotion of secure and gender-responsive technologies and innovation. It also named for inclusive and equitable high-quality education in science, technologies, engineering, and mathematics, details and communications technologies and digital literacy to make sure that all girls and girls can thrive in a swiftly altering globe.

Initiatives to market innovation and technological alter, and education in the digital age for reaching gender equality should take into consideration the following:

• Create digital tools and solutions to address the desires of all girls and girls, across sectors and geographies, in particular for their education, wellness, financial empowerment and engagement in public life, and make sure girls and girls have access to digital literacy and expertise all through their life course.

• Mainstream gender in digital policies to get rid of barriers to equal access for all girls and girls, like these living in poverty, in rural, maritime or remote regions, with disabilities, Indigenous girls and girls, migrant girls and girls, and older girls.

• Foster a policy of zero tolerance for gender-primarily based violence that happens via or is amplified by the use of technologies and make sure that public and private sector entities prioritize its prevention and elimination.

• Mainstream a gender viewpoint in the design and style of emerging technologies and adopt regulations to make sure they are topic to sufficient safeguards to combat new dangers, gender stereotypes and damaging social norms, information privacy breaches and strengthen transparency and accountability.

• Market policies and programmes to attain gender parity in emerging scientific and technological fields and develop supportive workplaces and education settings, like via gender-responsive education, distance finding out options and interdisciplinary approaches combining the teaching of social sciences and scientific fields.

• Create gender-responsive innovation that challenges gender stereotypes and damaging social norms, like via the improvement of digital content material, awareness campaigns and teaching competencies for constructive engagement on digital technologies that engage, educate, encourage and empowers youth, like young males and boys, to turn out to be agents of alter for gender equality.

The 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Ladies took location against the backdrop of continued backlash against women’s rights globally, from enhanced violence against girls in the public space, to the gender impacts of the earthquakes in Syria and Turkiye, to the every day horror that girls and girls face in emergency and crisis settings like in Afghanistan, Ukraine and Iran.

In the very first totally in-individual session following 3 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, CSW67 registered quite higher numbers with additional than 7,000 participants, like four heads of state and government and 116 ministers, 205 side events on UN premises, and about 700 NGO parallel events.

For the very first time, the session integrated an interactive youth session with young persons, youth representatives of delegations, civil society and United Nations organizations , engaging in dialogue and supplying suggestions on how to make sure young girls and girls are aspect of the digital transformation. The Commission also benefited from critical contributions from a wide variety of civil society organizations like the leaders and commitment makers of the Action Coalition on Technologies and Innovation for Gender Equality, launched as aspect of the Generation Equality Forum. The Action Coalition on Technologies and Innovation for Gender Equality has created a important contribution in cementing alliances in between Governments, private sector, civil society and the UN program and in driving momentum and commitments to advance gender equality via technologies and innovation.