CSW67 - Formal in-person side event: Towards a green and digital future: opportunities and challenges for women and girls in public life and the workplace

A joint in-person side event co-organised by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and Estonia.

See the event's official flyer here (with a link for registration).

Women and girls have enormous potential for contributing to a green and digital future which leaves no one behind. Their voices, talent and expertise are crucial for the success of climate action and for laying the foundations of fairer societies through green and digital transitions. Yet women and girls encounter many challenges to their full, equal and meaningful participation and in taking up the unprecedented opportunities that technology has to offer. In central sectors such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and ICT, omnipresent in today’s societies and powerful tools for promoting democracy, autonomy and social inclusion, numerous barriers hinder women and girls’ access to education, public services and a wide range of life opportunities, deter them from joining the workforce in this field and lead many of those who do enter such employment to leave it rapidly. Eliminating the gender stereotypes that prevent women and girls from following vocations in STEM from education to employment is essential.

 

A strongly related challenge is the global gender digital divide. Digital technologies also bring with them new forms of gender-based violence and harassment in the workplace. These emerging threats against women and girls must be understood and prevented, to ensure a safe, fair, and equal working environment for women and an inclusive green and digital future.

 

Solutions to these challenges exist and should be supported and replicated.

 

The co-organisers of this side event each bring to the fore different strategies for the inclusion of women and girls in the green and digital future. The Netherlands, for instance, recently launched a recovery and resilience plan to increase investment in digital skills, education and development, aiming to increase the number of female ICT specialists, thereby contributing to maintaining the Netherlands' position as a digital leader. In Estonia, the Unicorn Squad initiative offers robotics and tech activities for girls between 8 and 12 to break down the myth that technology is only for boys, and i-voting is a priority for the country. The Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly has worked extensively on issues of empowerment of women and girls, including in public and professional life, and on how to combat new forms of violence and inequality in the digital age. E-democracy is a powerful enabler for inclusive consultation and collective policy-making and should be accessible and accompanied by adequate skills training.

 

The priority theme of CSW67 will allow participants to come together to make a real difference in the international recognition and support of women and girls in all their diversity as part of the equation which will make our societies more sustainable for and in the future. This event brings together high-level representatives from government, parliament and civil society to exchange views on the major challenges, obstacles and opportunities for women and girls in this field and to discuss how to ensure they part of the solution our societies need for a truly green and digital future. 

 

 

Introduction by Despina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (moderator)

 

Panel

• Marjan Hammersma Vice-Minister of Education, Culture and Science, The Netherlands: Green and Digital Jobs 
• Hanna Vseviov Deputy Minister of Social Affairs, Estonia (tbc): opportunities in digital innovation 
• Mariëlle Feenstra NGO Representative on the Dutch Delegation to CSW67: Gender inclusive energy transition
• Mariia Mezentseva Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe: a green and digital future in times of crisis
• Petra Stienen member of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe: digital as a tool for empowering women and girls 
• Zita Gurmai former General Rapporteur on violence against women, member of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe: parliamentarians against online violence