26 June 2023
On 15 May 2023, RTW had the pleasure to meet a number of women government delegates in Geneva, following work over the last years of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) HQ and country staff to support and increase women’s participation in ITU processes. RTW celebrates these efforts. Women delegates to the ITU-D Study Group 1 who attended the Workshop, ‘Meaningful Connectivity: Women Expert and Young Expert inclusion‘ on 15 May 2023 as well as women ITU staff had the opportunity to discuss issues, challenges and priorities during a side meeting following the workshop. The meeting was organized by ITU staff. (For the workshop program, please visit: https://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-d/oth/07/2e/D072E0000010075PDFE.pdf).
Representatives attended the workshop and later, the informal meeting of women delegates from, among other countries, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, South Africa, Senegal Argentina, United States of America, China and many more. Both the workshop and the women delegates’ meeting took place in English and in French. During all of the discussion in the workshop and among the women delegates, RTW was interested to learn of the challenges facing national telecoms regulators as well as women and young persons with regard to digital inclusion.
There’s a lot that stakeholders can do together in different UN processes and to bring more attention to many issues affecting women’s inclusion in STEM. Jobs and the world of work are changing rapidly and there’s still a lack of connectivity which also has a gender divide. RTW looks forward to an exciting next chapter as it continues to work with stakeholders to bring human rights and technology closer together in the different mechanisms that can all be used.
Pictured below: Delegates attending ITU-D Study Group 1, panel speakers at the Workshop on Meaningful Connectivity 15 May 2023, and ITU staff
