Background
The International Girls in ICT Day, which is celebrated worldwide every year on the fourth Thursday of April (27 April 2023), is an opportunity to inspire young girls to study and pursue technology. This day highlights female role models in technology as a way to increase interest in information and communication technology among young girls to help balance the gender gap within the workforce. It is also to the benefit of ICT in enabling their career and aspiration. To date, 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. The Girls in ICT Day programme aims to increase the visibility and digital competence of young women and girls (aged 12 to 24) in the STEM fields, notably ICTs. Given the success of this programme over the years, ITU in 2022 decided to promote girls in ICT Day not just on one day in the year but all year long.
In the Philippines, tech-savvy girls and teenagers continue to excel in their studies and even pursue their passion in the digital world—proving that girls and young women do not lag behind. Given this year’s theme of “Digital skills for life”, the Philippines is extending itself to host the international girls in ICT day 2023 with an emphasis to expanding and deepening girls and young women’s participation and contribution to the digital transformation and development.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) recently launched the Digital Innovation for Women Advancement (DIWA) program, which aims at increasing the involvement of Filipino women in ICT, harnessing the role of ICTs to advance gender equality, and empowering women to actively participate in building an inclusive and sustainable digital future. The Philippines, as a council member of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), announced the DIWA project during the 2022 Plenipotentiary Conference in Bucharest, Romania, to be a model organization for gender equality using ICT to empower women.
Girls in ICT in the Philippines
The Philippines is hosting the International Girls in ICT Day 2023 and, in collaboration with ITU, will expand the reach to ASEAN by advancing the following approaches :
Partnership and collaboration for broader impacts – DICT and ITU will collaboratively implement the International Girls in ICT Day 2023 with the involvement of the various partners including the public sector, UN agencies and CSOs, the digital and AI industry, and the girls and young women themselves. Reaching out to ASEAN will be undertaken with the Ministry of Women and Empowerment and Child Protection, Republic of Indonesia.
Knowledge sharing and capacity development – A series of knowledge sharing sessions and capacity development will be organised in the area of digital literacy, essential ICT skills, emerging technologies, and entrepreneurship. Platforms both on-site and virtual will be organised to feature prominent female senior government officials, prominent business personalities, activists and pioneering practitioners in the digital technologies and AI. Some part of the activities will involve the actual enhancement of capacities both in terms of knowledge, skills, leadership, and networking.
Effective Dissemination of results – to maximize the benefit of this initiative, the output of each activity shall be shared and disseminated through various and creative means such as publication and/or other appropriate means.
Highlights of the Event
Agenda
8:30 – 9:30: Registration and Networking
9:30 – 9:45: Opening Ceremonies
9:45 – 10:15: Introduction
Welcoming Remarks:
- Kishore Babu, ITU Representative for Southeast Asia and other Member States in Asia and the Pacific
Special Address:
- Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov, UNICEF Representative in the Philippines
Keynote Speech & Launch of DIWA Philippines:
- Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, Undersecretary for ICT Industry Development, DICT
10:15 – 11:00 : Panel 1: The ITU Girls In ICT Agenda
Moderator:
- Diane Eustaqio, Startup Innovation Ecosystem Consultant
Participants:
- Maria Teresa Camba, Assistant Secretary for Regional Development, DICT
- Maria Kristine Josefina Balmes, Deputy Executive Director for Operations, Philippine Commission on Women
11:00 – 11:30 AM: Group Photo (Physical & Virtual Session)
11:30 – 12:30 AM: Panel 2: Breaking the Glass Ceiling for Girls in ICT: Regional Initiatives
Moderator:
- Director Emmy Lou Delfin, ICT Industry Development Bureau, DICT
Participants:
- Evamay De La Rosa, Regional Director, DICT Region XI
- Sitti Alawi, Regional Director, DICT Region X
- Cheryl Ortega, Regional Director, DICT Region IV-A & IV-B
- Frei Sangil, CEO, Layertech (online)
12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch Break and DIWA Declaration
1:30 – 2:30 PM: Panel 3: Trailblazing Pathways for Girls in ICT
Moderator:
- Joie Cruz, Limitless Labs
Participants:
- Ma. Gichelle A. Cruz, USAID-Beacon, Gender and Social Inclusion Lead
- Michelle Alarcon, President, Analytics Association of the Philippines
- Raisa Orbon, Chief Marketing Officer, Packetworx, Inc.
- Gail Cruz-Macapagal, Head, Women in Blockchain
2:30 – 3:30 PM: Panel 4: Girls for Girls in ICT (AI session)
Presentation on AI and Gender by Catherine Setiawan, Project Coordinator, ITU How Girls in ICT can Thrive in the Age of AI?
- Criscela Racelis, DEVCON IT Student Leader
- Armielyn Obinguar (DEVCON Speakers Network – AI Professionals
- Student Delegates
Moderator:
- Patricia Nicole Uy, DICT
3:30 – 4:30 PM: Closing Ceremonies
- Kishore Babu, ITU Representative for Southeast Asia and other Member States in
Asia and the Pacific - Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, Undersecretary for ICT Industry Development, DICT
Hosts:
- Janna Geron
- Carlos Albornoz