Nominations are now being accepted for the third annual UN Women and International Telecommunication Union GEM-TECH Award for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment. This prestigious global award recognises outstanding contributions by women and men (individuals and organisations) who strive to bridge the gender digital divide by harnessing the potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to empower women and girls.
The GEM-TECH Awards can play an important role in highlighting what works, where initiatives can be implemented on a large scale and where more investment is needed. They also show how ICTs contribute to drastic improvements in socio-political and economic situations, as well as equality between men and women and girls, and how to promote their role as decision-makers and technologists.
«Para poder lograr la igualdad de género en este sector para 2030, los responsables de la formulación de políticas en materia de TIC, los dirigentes del sector y los educadores deben recurrir al conjunto de los activos disponibles, para lo cual es fundamental considerar a las niñas y las mujeres creadoras, impulsoras, líderes y responsables de la toma de decisiones en el sector de las tecnologías», afirmó la Directora Ejecutiva de ONU Mujeres, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. «Para lograr los niveles de acceso, capacitación y reconocimiento necesarios se requerirá también el apoyo que brinde la introducción de cambios profundos en las políticas y los reglamentos. Precisamente ese es el objetivo que esperamos de los Premios GEM-TECH, al igual que esperamos que las generaciones inspiradas en estos Premios logren la igualdad en el propio sector de las tecnologías».
The ITU estimates that more than two million ICT jobs will not be created in the next 10 years due to skills shortages. In the current context where digital technologies are part of every sector of the economy, girls and young women with skills in coding, application development and computing will have a significant advantage over their untrained counterparts, regardless of the field in which they choose to work.
«El reto de lograr mayor igualdad de género en el sector de las TIC es apremiante y deben asumirlo los gobiernos, la industria, la sociedad civil y las instituciones académicas mancomunadamente», afirmó el Secretario General de la UIT, Houlin Zhao. «La industria de las TIC necesita más mujeres en calidad de líderes, tutoras y emprendedoras, por lo que me complace que la iniciativa GEM-TECH nos permita celebrar los logros alcanzados por muchas personas y organizaciones increíbles e inspiradoras de todo el mundo, así como por algunas destacadas Triunfadoras Mundiales que realmente han cambiado la situación para lograr un equilibrio entre hombres y mujeres en el sector de las tecnologías».
The GEM-TECH Awards 2016 will be awarded in three categories:
- Applying technology for women's empowerment and digital inclusion: initiatives related to women's social, economic and political empowerment that combat gender-based violence (both offline and online) and drive sustainable development will be awarded;
- Promoting women in the technology sector: Awards will be given to initiatives that promote greater gender equality in ICT/science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and careers, in particular initiatives that encourage girls and women to become creators, developers, leaders and decision-makers.
- Develop gender-responsive ICT governance: Initiatives based on new laws, policy frameworks or internal corporate strategies that aim to improve access, connectivity, digital literacy and citizenship, capacity building and women's rights will be rewarded.
The three finalists will be selected by a committee comprised of experts from ITU, UN Women and a panel selected from the winners of the 2015 GEM-TECH Awards.
The awards will be presented to outstanding individuals or organisations that accelerate women's empowerment, during a ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand, as part of the ITU Telecom World event (14-17 November 2016).
Applications can be submitted online until 31 July; more information can be found here.
Source: ITU
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