| 1. Background International Girls in ICT Day is celebrated worldwide every year on the fourth Thursday of April (22 April 2021). Girls in ICT Day provides an opportunity for girls and young women to see and be exposed to the benefit of ICT in enabling their career and aspiration. To date, over 377,000 girls and young women have taken part in more than 11,400 celebrations of International Girls in ICT Day in 171 countries worldwide. As a result of the COVID-19 situation, the reliance on ICT to support the 'new norm' have become evident and widespread. The ICT sector is a growing sector for education in both developed and developing countries. This means that qualified female students in technical fields around the world have significant opportunities available to them. These are excellent opportunities in particular for highly skilled girls and young women who are still a minority when it comes to STEM education and careers. Developing initiatives and activities to promote and encourage girls to take up study in STEM and ICT is hence a requirement.
2. Girls in ICT Day Thailand initiative Since 2017, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES-Thailand), the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC-Thailand) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) together with partners including UNESCAP, FAO, UNESCO, APT, CISCO, DTAC, CCKDM, NECTEC and GIC (AIT) have been running a capacity building program aimed at imparting employable digital skills to girls and young women in Thailand training more than 400 female students. In 2020, Girls in ICT Day celebration in Thailand was conducted virtually from August and September owing to COVID-19. Around 250 girls and young women participated in the leadership session and training programs in areas of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Smart Farming. Building on the past successes in Thailand, the ITU, MDES, NBTC, partners from UN agencies, industry and academia propose to organize this year’s celebrations from 22 April to 27 May 2021.
3. Scope of the initiative The Girls in ICT Day Thailand initiative aims to encourage girls and young woman to pursue studying STEM, enhance their level of digital skill, and raise awareness on meaningful and safe use of ICT. The initiative adopts the following approaches: a. It will be implemented through close coordination, cooperation, and consultation amongst the ITU, Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) Thailand, National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) Thailand, partners from UN agencies, industry, academia and other interested partners in Thailand. b. In order to enhance the impact of the work undertaken within this initiative, the planned activities in 2021 will build upon the experiences of implementation in previous years and will complement and support ITU and partner's initiatives in the country. The activities, based on partnerships with organizations that share a common goal will be developed, thereby effectively optimizing the resources, creating synergies and efficiencies, increasing collaboration and avoiding duplication. c. In order to maximize the benefit of this initiative, it is expected that the output of each activity would be shared and disseminated through publication or other appropriate means.
4. Beneficiaries The target beneficiaries of this initiative are girls and young women including those from low-income, remotely located and with specific needs in Thailand.
5. Objectives Under the initiative, the program in 2021 aims: a. To enhance the digital literacy of girls and young woman, particularly in the area of cyber security, ICT application, and use of digital technology which supports Thailand's Digital Economy plan and Thailand 4.0. b. To encourage girls and young women to utilize ICT meaningfully and strengthen the Girls in ICT day online community in Thailand, as well as other countries in Asia and the Pacific. c. To explore partnerships with various government and UN agencies to continue the support to digital literacy and digital skills development after the event.
6. Expected results a. Number of International Girls in ICT Day event organized to enhance awareness amongst stakeholders in Thailand: Minimum one event. b. The number of digital skills training for girls and young women: Minimum 4 trainings. c. Number of girls and young women that enhance digital skills: At least 150 girls and young women participated including those from low-income, remotely located and with specific needs in Thailand.
7. Event timeline The activities are planned from April to May 2021. 22 April 2021: Opening ceremony of Girls in ICT Day Thailand Introduction to Generation Connect in Asia and the Pacific, Leadership Program 26 April - 26 May 2021: Digital Skills Training Programs + Entrepreneurship + Artificial Intelligence + Cybersecurity + Emerging Technologies + Technology for Good Online Challenge 27 May 2021: Closing Ceremony
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