BDT Director Doreen Bogdan-Martin took part in ''Building the Bandwidth-Accelerating Girls' Digital Access, Skills and Online Learning'', an online event hosted by UNESCO, the Varkey Foundation and CJ Cultural Foundation, which brought together leaders from different sectors.
In a session on “Wiring the Network: Key Actions to Create Equal, Safe & Empowering Online Spaces for Girls", Ms Bogdan-Martin shared her insights on how cooperation can close gaps in access, skills and leadership.
She explained that there are multi-layered reasons that contribute to the gender digital divide across the globe. These include issues around affordability, a lack of training and digital skills offered to girls, a lack of compelling content, personal or family fear of online harassment, technology policies and regulations that fail to actively address digital gender inequality, and more.
Yet, digital access and skills are rapidly becoming prerequisites for social and economic participation in a post-pandemic world, and thereby determinants of girls' future prospects.
Ms Bogdan-Martin stated that the complex problems are larger than any one entity can tackle on its own, so ''partnerships and multistakeholder cooperation has to be the default.''
She shared information on ITU's combined efforts with multiple partners to push technology access out to every girl child, every young female student, and every woman.
In conclusion, she stated that ''Empowering women and girls to become equal co-creators of their – and our – digital future, is one of today's most urgent global imperatives.''
