United Nations Observance of International Women's Day 2023
Statement
Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin
08 March 2023
Mr. President,
Madam Chair,
Madam Executive Director,
Madam Minister, Excellencies,
Fabulous ladies and gentlemen,
Times are changing.
Vidhya, a young woman in India, is helping thousands of visually impaired students – most of them girls – develop vital digital skills and succeed in science, technology, engineering, and math.
Vidhya was the first visually impaired student in her university to major in computer science. Her example reminds us that digital technology is not a luxury but a necessity.
Hellen, another young woman captured the attention of our delegates last year, with photographs where she's seen using drones to observe shifting vegetation patterns in the Northeastern region of Brazil.
Hellen belongs to the Pankararu indigenous people, and is turning to digital technology to fight the battle against climate change and save her people's land, their way of life, and our planet.
More than 6,000 miles away in Ethiopia, a 27-year-old woman named Kunjina is setting new trends in the textile and apparel industry.
We met Kunjina through our EQUALS initiative – the global partnership for gender equality in the digital age.
This experience led her to launch the first multimedia fashion show using 3D and Augmented Reality in Addis Ababa, and that's opened Kunjina's business to new opportunities around the globe.
I have one last story – and that's my own.
I grew up not too far away from here in New Jersey – Exit 98 – in a science-loving family and, Sade, I had a microscope – and I loved my microscope. I too saw technology and the promise of technology as a promise to change the world.
It's such a great privilege for me to be here with all of you today on this day – as the first woman to lead head of ITU, the International Telecommunication Union.
I intend to work with you to leverage tech to deliver on the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We have the foundation – all countries agree on the need to achieve universal connectivity and sustainable digital transformation.
We have momentum – the Partner2Connect Digital Coalition led by ITU together with other UN partners has mobilized, in just over one year, more than 17 billion US dollars for digital gender equality.
We have a unique opportunity – and by we, I mean the UN, governments, industry, academia, civil society, all of us together – to ensure gender equality happens in our lifetimes, and not in 300 years!
Digital technology can help pave the way.
If more young women enroll and graduate in STEM degrees.
If we challenge the gender stereotypes and biases that perpetuate inequality in the tech industry, and if woman and girls feel safe online.
If more countries adopt national digital agendas with a specific focus on women and girls.
So no more ifs. No more excuses for not having digital gender equality now – and everywhere.
Let's all commit to three actions, here and now:
First, get girls into STEM at an early age, and empower women and girls with the digital skills they need to succeed.
Second, ensure women and girls have equal access to digital technologies and opportunities, and base decisions on solid facts and data.
Third, give women a seat at the digital table, making gender equality a must in every organization.
We are at a crossroad in our journey toward digital gender equality.
Together, let's deliver on the potential of digital technology for Vidhya, Hellen, Kunjina, and for all women and girls around the world.
It's in our power to make digital technology and innovation truly work for everyone.
It is our shared responsibility to create a more equal, just, safe, and sustainable digital world today – and for future generations.
Let's power on!
Thank you.
