The side event "Bridging the Digital Gender Divide for Women's Economic Empowerment" of the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the UNECE Region will take place on 2 April 2025 from 13:15 to 14:45 CET. It will be held in the Palais des Nations room V (A Building), in Geneva, Switzerland. The side event is organized by the Permanent Mission of Armenia, Permanent Mission of Estonia, Permanent Mission of Slovenia, Permanent Mission of Spain and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), with contributions from the UN Digital Transformation Group for Europe and Central Asia and other UN agencies.
The 2025 UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (RFSD) will focus on the theme ‘Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals for leaving no one behind’. The Forum will take place ahead of the 2025 UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), which this year will review the progress made towards the SDG 5 on gender equality. The UNECE annual intergovernmental forum aims to assess progress and exchange knowledge, best practices, and policy solutions to support the 2030 Agenda, in line with regional priorities.
Gender equality and empowerment of women, in particular in the sphere of economy remains a global challenge in many countries, due to the gender digital divide persisting in women’s and girl’s access to and use of information and communication technologies. Lack of access to technology, low digital literacy and gender bias, constrain women to harness the power of digital tools and innovation. With the rise of digital technologies, new opportunities are emerging to bridge the gender gap and foster women’s empowerment and full, equal and meaningful participation in sustainable development, including at the decision-making level. In this context, ICTs and innovation offer transformative potential, enabling women to gain better access to education, financial services and realize their economic rights.
As the Beijing+30 review and appraisal takes place this year, this event presents a valuable opportunity to contribute to it, and share experiences, expertise, and insights while fostering discussions on achievements and challenges in advancing gender equality and empowering women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).
This event will contribute and be held within the framework of the celebrations of the Girls in ICT Day, amplifying its impact by highlighting the importance of equal and equitable digital inclusion for young women and girls, and supporting the goal of accelerating global connectivity and ensuring women’s full participation in the digital transformation process.
We hope to bring awareness on girls in STEM as a crucial movement, and aim to increase the participation, representation, empowerment and success of girls and women in this field. Historically, women have been underrepresented in these areas due to systemic barriers, stereotypes, and a lack of encouragement, and significant actions are needed to bridge this gap.
Insights and recommendations will also aim to inform how gender can be better integrated into future digital development strategies both within the UNECE region and globally, help advance the various SDGs, especially SDG 5 (gender equality), and contribute to SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure).
