International Girls in ICT Day is celebrated worldwide every year on the fourth Thursday of April (27 April 2023). Girls in ICT Day provides an opportunity for girls and young women to see and be exposed 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 works to cultivate the presence and digital skills of young women and girls [aged 12-24] in the career field of STEM, particularly ICTs. Given the success of this initiative each year, ITU will continue the efforts to promote Girls in ICT not solely on one day of the year, but throughout the year with 2023 marking a launching point for a new model of Girls in ICT year-long activities.
Girls in ICT activities will follow the 2023 theme of “Digital Skills for Life!”. According to ITU’s latest data, the proportion of women using the Internet globally amounts to 57 per cent, compared to 62 per cent of men. If women are unable to access the internet and feel unsafe online, they are unable to develop digital skills and participate in digital spaces, diminishing their opportunities to pursue a career in STEM fields.
In Thailand, the Girls in ICT Day initiative aims to encourage girls and young woman to pursue studying STEM, enhance their level of digital skill, and raise awareness on meaningful and safe use of ICT.
The celebration is organized by Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC), Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) and ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in 2023 in conjunction with a series of the training programme.
The Opening Ceremony on 27 April 2023 will be held in hybrid mode.
- On-site: Grand Ballroom, 4th floor, Radisson Blu Plaza Bangkok Hotel, 489 Sukhumvit Rd., Wattana, Klongtoey nua, Bangkok, Thailand
- Online: Zoom platform
Highlights of the Opening Ceremony
Provisional Agenda
08:15 – 09:00: Registration
- Registration and event preparation on-site
- Testing and online networking on the online platform
09:00 – 09:30: Introduction
- MC: Paan Phatharathornphookhin
- Session Moderator: Rury Demsey, Junior Project Officer, ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Welcoming remarks
- Atsuko Okuda, Regional Director, ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Special address
- Gita Sabharwal, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Thailand
- Masanori Kondo, Secretary General, Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT)
- Duriya Amatavivat, Special Advisor to the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Education Thailand Ministry of Education Thailand
- Nattapon Nattasomboon, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Digital Economy and Society Thailand
Update from Office of the NBTC
- Notachard Chintakanond, Executive Director of the International Affairs Bureau, Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC)
Opening and keynote Speech
- Clinical Professor Dr. Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck, Chairman of NBTC, Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC)
(Each speaker to have 3 minutes maximum to deliver the remarks)
09:30 – 09:40: Group Photos
09:40-10:15: Meet the Ambassador
Girl representatives to start the session and ask question to the Representative from the Embassies in Thailand
- Yodwadee Dissara, Children and Youth Council Thailand
- Furuo Li, ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Representative from the Embassies in Thailandwill share an inspirational messages and experience to the girls and young women in Thailand who participate in the Girls in ICT Day Thailand.
- E. Dr. Sarah Taylor, Ambassador of Canada to the Kingdom of Thailand, Kingdom of Cambodia and Lao PDR
- E. Mrs. C.A. Chaminda I. Colonne, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Thailand and Permanent Representative to UNESCAP
- Gemma Edgar, Development Counsellor, the Australian Embassy in Thailand (Virtual)
10:15-11:00: Success Stories by Women Influencers
Session powered by the Office of the NBTC
Moderated by:
- Paan Phatharathornphookhin
Speakers:
- Amanda Chalisa Obdam, Miss Universe Thailand 2020 (Winner)
- Kanticha Chumma, The Face Thailand Season 2 (Winner)
11:00 – 14:00: Talking tech – Girls and Women in ICT on “Digital Skills for life”
Interactive interview/conversation between a girl or young woman (Representative from youth leader of Generation Connect Asia and the Pacific) and the Girls in ICT Day Thailand Partners to share experiences about this year’s Girls in ICT 2023 theme on “Digital Skills for Life!”.
This session will be divided into three sections with participation of the Girls in ICT Girls in ICT Day Thailand Partners from the UN Agencies, Industries, and Academia discussed specific topics focusing on the “Digital Skills for Life!” moderated by the youth leader from Asia and the Pacific.
11:00 – 11:30: Session 1: Talking tech with the UN agencies and intergovernmental organisations (Hybrid session)
Moderated by:
- Titaya Punyaratabandhu, Student, Chulalongkorn University
Speakers:
- Jongbong Park, Director, Project Development, Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT) (Physical)
- Felix Weidenkaff, Youth Employment Specialist, Regional Economic and Social Analysis Unit, ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
- Rangsun Wiboonuppatum, Education Specialist, Education Section, UNICEF Thailand Country Office (Physical)
- Jo Hironaka, Regional Advisor and Chief of Unit, Communication and Information, UNESCO Bangkok (Physical)
- Emad Karim, Advocacy, Innovation & Campaigns Coordinator, UN Women
- Philomena Gnanapragasam, Secretariat Director, AIBD (Virtual)
- Pitinan Kooarmornpatana, Senior Manager, Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) Programs, ICANN (Physical)
(Each speaker to have 3 min max. focusing on the information required to be shared)
11:30 – 13:00: Lunch Break and Testing
13:00 – 14:00 Session 2: Talking tech with the Industries (Hybrid session)
Moderated by:
- Zanear Kakaow, Ambassador For a Day, SDGs Youth Panel
- Yalyn Temrat, Student, Thammasat University
Speakers:
- Suthinee Leelahemaratana, Program Manager, Cisco Systems Thailand (Physical)
- Woragarn Likhitdechasakdi Chief Technology Officer, Huawei Thailand Carrier Business Group (Physical)
- Doyeon Kim, International Partnerships Manager, APAC, Code.org (Virtual)
- Yap Jin Yi, CEO, Supernap, Thailand (Physical)
- Emi Shitara, President, Japan Brand Communication (Virtual)
- Onmadee Purapati, Director of Public Relations, Digital Council Thailand (Virtual)
- Daniel McFarlane, Faculty Member, School of Global Studies, Thammasat University (Physical)
- Supavadee Aramvith, Ph.D., Associate Professor in Electrical Engineering, Associate Head, Internationalization, Head, Multimedia Data Analytics and Processing Research Uni Chulalongkorn University (Virtual)
(Each speaker to have 3 min max. focusing on the information required to be shared)
14:00 – 14:30: Boys in ICT Thailand
Session moderator:
- Mr Sean Sharidz Doral, Programme Officer for ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (TBC)
Special address:
- Kalaya Chinatiworn, Principal Advisor for Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Digital Economy and Society Thailand
The boy representatives will share their inspirational messages and insights on their call to action to support society in closing the digital divide and the important role of ICTs to support their learning activities at school with all the students in Thailand who participate in the Girls in ICT Day Thailand.
Speakers:
- Dadchaneeya Ruttanasiri, The Planned Parenthood association of Thailand
- Boy representatives
(Each speaker to have 5 minutes max. focusing on the information required to be shared)
14:30 – 15:00: Talking green and circular in tech
This session will inform the audience about the increasing importance of considering the environment in the use and disposal of our everyday tech products.
Session moderator:
- Chanisda von der Luehe, Student, Chulalongkorn University
Speakers:
- Kannika Khwamsawat, Researcher at Centre of Excellence on Hazardous Substances Management, Chulalongkorn University (Physical)
(Each speaker to have 10 minutes max. focusing on the information required to be shared)
Q&A session is opened for 10 minutes after the presentation from speakers.
15:00 – 15:05: Closing Remarks
- Atsuko Okuda, Regional Director for ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific