BDT Director Doreen Bogdan-Martin participated in a series of events to celebrate of the 10th anniversary of Girls in ICT Day, on 22 April 2021.
She delivered messages to Girls in ICT Day celebrations across the globe, including in the Republic of Korea, organized by the Korea Information Society Development Institute (KISDI); in The Bahamas, organized by the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA); the opening ceremony of month-long Girls in ICT Day celebrations in Thailand; an ITU-Facebook event in the Americas; ITU's European celebrations; an event at American University in Washington, DC; and to the U.S. Federal Communications Bar Association.
Ms Bogdan-Martin told girls all over the world that her key message to them was: ''Think about what technology could do for you, and for the world. There is simply no more exciting, dynamic field to work in, and we need young women like yourselves to be co-creators of the technologies that are increasingly shaping our future.''
ITU hosted a high-level panel discussion with the theme “Connected Girls, Creating Brighter Futures", co-organized by the Royal Academy of Science International Trust (RASIT) and Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet), and supported by Generation Equality. Ms Bogdan-Martin co-moderated the panel along with Ms Salma Alrowaie, Communication and ICT Officer of the Girls in Science 4 SDGs International Platform.
The panel featured prominent speakers from the public and private sectors, international agencies, and academia, as well as girls and young women whose voices represent the goal of Girls in ICT. Speakers engaged audiences with statements of support, analysis and insight, followed by three interactive “mini-dialogues" to spotlight different aspects of the Girls in ICT programme goals.
Ms Bogdan-Martin noted that key messages from panelists this Girls in ICT Day included: the need to engage girls as partners and not only as beneficiaries, to bridge the digital divide; the vital need to invest in girl-led and woman-led innovation; the value of diversity in innovation; the importance of empowering girls to study STEM, and also building their leadership in this field; the notable ways role models can support upcoming generations; and collaboration as key to bridging the gender digital divide. ''Girls need tech, and tech needs girls,'' she affirmed.
