International Girls in ICT Day is celebrated worldwide every year on the fourth Thursday of April and provides an opportunity for girls and young women to see and be exposed to the benefits of ICT to enable their career and aspirations.
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), that coordinates global celebrations of the event, asserts 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.

For girls and young women to thrive in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers, they need safe and reliable access to the internet and digital tools and services. That’s why, in consultation with youth, the ITU identified “Access and Safety” as the theme for Girls in ICT 2022. ITU’s gender-disaggregated data shows that girls have been left even further behind than boys in STEM education.

A recent consultation process piloted by the ITU with girls aged 16 to 24 identified important enablers for girls to be equipped with the necessary skills to think laterally, solve problems, and innovate. These included online access, skills education, digital tools training, community support, and notably, programmes that ensure girls actively participate in the art of storytelling and permitting them to hear from women-role models.

This year and every year, ITU and partners including CTO work together to develop solutions and ideas for lowering barriers to Internet access and improving safety online for girls and young women.

Event objectives
The objectives of the webinar are to:

• • • Encourage girls and young women to pursue STEM education.
    • Inspire girls and young women to work in STEM/ICT career.
    • Engage stakeholders and promote collaborations to end gender digital divide.
    • Highlight gender stereotypes as a primary barrier to STEM/ICT careers in girls.