I am delighted to announce the signing of a joint declaration between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDMA) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in promoting gender equity and inclusion in cybersecurity Asia and the Pacific. Through this partnership, USAID and ITU will jointly provide technical assistance and promote our common goal of bridging the gender gap in the cybersecurity domain, while at the same time advancing wider gender digital empowerment with specific focus on the needs of vulnerable groups in society.
Meeting between USAID RDMA
and ITU in Bangkok on 2 December 2022, following the signature of the Joint
Declaration
This joint declaration follows the signature of a Letter of Intent between USAID and ITU in March 2021. Additionally, the joint declaration builds on the successful launching of the Developing Cybersecurity Reporting Expertise for Female Journalists in Asia and the Pacific Programme which sought to close the well-documented gender gap among both cybersecurity and media professionals.
In 2021 the number of unfilled cybersecurity positions was estimated at 2.72 million cybersecurity professionals, of which Asia-Pacific has the largest regional workforce gap of 1.42 million. For the gender gap in the media, in 2020, 41% in Asia and 48% in the Pacific were female reporters in print, radio, and television news.
Therefore, the Developing Cybersecurity Reporting Expertise for Female Journalists in Asia and the Pacific Programme seeks to create a pool of dedicated female cybersecurity reporters to ensure detailed and strong coverage of cyber incidents in the Asia-Pacific developing countries. The programme also seeks to close the gender gap among both cybersecurity and media professionals.
The programme included a 4-stage process: selecting female journalists, organizing a regional webinar, brining female journalists to attend and report on ITU's World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) 2022, and conducting a Training Workshop on Cybersecurity Reporting for Female Journalists.
I am pleased to note that in partnership with USAID RDMA's Digital Asia Accelerator program, and the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD), the first three stages of this Programme have been completed. Six female journalists from Mongolia, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Thailand attended WTDC and provided reporting in both English and local languages.
Six female journalists from Cambodia, Indonesia, Mongolia, and Thailand who attended the World Telecommunication Development Conference in Rwanda in June 2022.
Building on this ongoing programme, the joint declaration enables USAID RDMA and ITU to collaborate and encourage women to further their skills, career and training in the digital world. Through this partnership, we hope to jointly support ITU's Girls in ICT Day and Women in Cyber mentorship programmes, including through conducting research on female cybersecurity workforce participation in Southeast Asia, as well as conducting skills-based training to build a female cybersecurity journalist cohort.
Through this joint declaration, I hope that we can together accelerate the path towards a more gender-balanced cybersecurity workforce.
Regards,
Ms Atsuko Okuda
Regional Director for ITU Regional Office in Asia and the Pacific
