The following are the outputs of the captioning taken during an IGF intervention. Although it is largely accurate, in some cases it may be incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors. It is posted as an aid, but should not be treated as an authoritative record.
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>> Good morning. Thank you hear me now? Excellent.
Good morning, everyone. I think missing batteries in your microphone is the equivalent of being on mute on Zoom and speaking. Glad we got this problem in hybrid as well. Channel 4.
Good morning, everyone. I'm with European analysis. You made the right decision despite the fierce competition today. Our goal is to have a serious policy discussion on a very important topic. At the same time to kick start the day with the right energy. Thank you for joining us again.
I will introduce now the distinguished panel and keynote speaker. We have today Christophe Farnaud. He has seen a lot as a diplomat and knows very well that diplomacy and technology is about bringing people together. This is what we're trying to do today in this panel. Next we have Minister Emma Anamutila Theofelus. She is one of the youngest ministered in the world and shows with her work that leadership is with determination. Thank you for joining us.
Next we have Ambassador Roy Eriksson. We use it as a metaphor but Ambassador Eriksson that Global Gateway Ambassador is doing it and how those projects are open to everyone concluding women. Thank you so much for joining us.
Next we have Kedi Välba, Chair for Europe and advisory group and CEO of Aktors and comes from it is a way of life. She is the way to tell us how private sector and public sector come together and how ideas come into action. Thank you so much for joining us.
Next we have Radka Sibille. She is the digital advisory in GENEVA. I thank each and every one of you that interacted with the UN know how overwhelming this interaction can be with the massive organization. Luckily, we have Radka here. She can make things simple and clear. Thank you so much for joining us and telling us more of how they try to turn commitments into for women. Thank you so much.
Next we have Ravin Rizgar. She is the Founder of Innovation director of Suli House.
Next we have Valeria Betancourt. She is with programmes manager communication. She is here with internet governance. Our session will deal with data and women and inclusivity. We hear a lot about the digital divide in this conference and our conferences.
It is important to remember it is not just about who gets online but also who gets seen and who gets opportunities. Algorithms that are trained on biased data for instance are showing higher paying jobs for men rather than women. The facial recognition systems flawed and disproportionately for women of color. I'm sure we will start a robust and interesting conversation today. I understand that these aren't just glitches. They are just symptoms of deeper inequalities. With that being said I will leave it with the panel. First and foremost I welcome to the stage our keynote speaker. Ambassador, the floor is yours.
>> EU AMBASSADOR MR. CHRISTOPHE FARNAUD: Thank you very much. Rock‑star minister. Excellencies in the room and distinguished guest and gentleman. Good morning. It is a real pleasure to open this session today with you. Gender equality as you know is a priority to the union. It is a multidimensional issue from education to work and health and making and of course digitalization.
The thing is that the gender digital divide remains a significant obstacle to achieving and inclusive equality.
To launch the discussion let me start with statistics. According to ITU worldwide 202269% were internet users compared with 63% of women. This means that globally there are 244 million more men than women using the internet. Move over this disparity is in leadership positions where women hold only 11% in the roles. In a nutshell despite progress persists and including women is not only fair. It is also the smart thing to do. According to UN estimates, if women exclusion was ended $1 trillion could be added to the GDP of low and middle income countries. However, women still face challenges to access the internet and develop digital skills and therefore use digital tools.
This is also why gender equality is a core vision to the European union. Women are development and change. They have adopted the gender equity plan. 85% of all new actions in external relation of the EU will contribute to gender equality.
As regard to digitalization specifically it promotes equal access and participation in shaping the digital landscape from policy framework to infrastructure from development of skills to financial access.
Second, the EU Global Gateway strategy and digital transition with partner countries. It promotes a human centric and inclusive model of digitalization. It's ambitious targets can only be met by acting together in the team Europe approach with the member states of the European union and stakeholders. In the spirit of this conference here in IGF.
Third of course digital for development hub is strategic stakeholder platform and up again and its partners. The in the framework we together with member stakes focus our attention on the skills women needs to take leadership positions in digital and on fighting cyber violence among other things. Today we have put together an inspiring panel representing all sectors public, private, civil society where men are minority obviously. Good luck. Coming from around the globe they will share the best practices, lessons learned and success stories and want to work together on recommendations to move forward.
Without much further ado I will give you back the floor and give you success in your exchanges. Thank you so much.
>> Thank you so much, Ambassador. Thank you so much to the fantastic panel. Before we kick start the conversation thank you to the European Commission and all our partners that are in this room today in the cyberspace for championing this cause and making this discussion possible.
I thought that in order to kick start the conversation in a more energetic way I will give you 30 seconds for each speaker for a first question. I want to hear from you one thing the elevator pitch to what's the biggest barrier to closing the gender digital divide. 30 seconds and then deep dive into a broader conversation. Minister, can we start with you? Thank you.
>> Thank you very much. It is very difficult to condense it in 30 seconds, but I'll try. I think the biggest barrier to ensuring that we close the digital gender gap would be the opportunities for girls and women to actually learn the skills they need. There is so many impediments and there is the somebody that is not exposed to smartphone and online spaces. They immediately say that I have lived without it for so long, why do I need it now. Not understanding the opportunities that come with it. I think barriers. Once they understand the opportunities it becomes a demand. They want to learn more and know more. Me demand more from the states and civil actors to make it possible. The right infrastructure is in place. The smartphones are cheaper. The data is cheaper, and they get to learn the right skills to be online actors. Thank you.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much.
>> I would like to echo what the minister said. One stumbling block is the mental kind of thinking that the internet and digitalization is concerning only men. We do not see what possibilities women have and that's why I'm very grateful to be part of the Global Gateway and different projects where we take for granted that women are also included and listen to what their needs are and also trying to promote. Yes, we're building connectivity. It is not connectivity per say, but so you can use it. For example, so you can start a micro company. Like we have in Africa good examples of women when they have the possibility to connect with the world. So they have small companies making clothes or home cooking or something. It's empowering women. If they just get over the first threshold and get online.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much. Can we hear from Kedi Välba?
>> KEDI VÄLBA: Yes. Thank you. I try not to repeat what the others have, can you hear? Yes. I try not to repeat what the others have already mentioned. As one of the things I see as a big barrier is the access to services. First of all, which we see is a problem. In many countries and also we don't teach young kids or girls skills. This is what we're trying to solve in Estonia in educational programs for girls to be included in world and teach them technological knowledge and so on so that they have more interest in the field and in the future as well.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much. Can we hear from Radka Sibille. 30 seconds.
>> RADKA SIBILLE: It now on? Thank you so much. One of the issues. I agree with all that has been said. One of the issues that I will add is the lack of women in decision making and policy making tables. I mean here we have a fantastic panel. It is very pro woman. In the tech force the situation is a whole lot different when you talk about technologies. I think we need more women in the table when decisions are made, and they already contain from the beginning the gender lens and the considerations of how they will impact women in all genders. Thank you.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much. Can we hear from Ravin Rizgar. The floor is yours.
>> RAVIN RIZGAR: Good morning. In terms of working closely with women I will say it is about trust because tech force is quite dominated by men. When it comes to women trying to find a place in the digital economy and trying to work and find employment opportunities there is no trust between the private sector or the companies in the capacity of women in that area. That's why despite upscaling in that sector they will still have lower opportunities in in finding employment opportunities. That's why they think why will I learn with this if I'm not going to get a job with this or not make it in the market. We have to try to push and build that trust within the private sector companies that women can also be in positions where they can actually success in the digital economy. Yeah.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much. To close this round of first questions can we hear from Valeria Betancourt, please.
>> VALERIA BETANCOURT: Thank you, very much. I hope you can hear me. Obviously, I agree with everything that has been said. In the context of the Latin America and the Caribbean and the region in the planet I think it has to do with the real recognition that the digital divide is an expression of procedural structural oppression and inclusion and discrimination. I think the fact that this is not taken into account in the development of digital policies is still posing different type of barriers that do not address the fact that the use of technology and technology itself has very different impact in women and girls and non-conforming people. Unless there is that recognition and digital policies are developed with that in mind, then I think the barriers will persist.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much from this first and very quick round. What I heard a keyword would be skills. Understand the opportunity and have access to services. I heard skills again so that’s a very important part of it of course. The lack of women at the decision making table trust cultivating trust and structural oppression which is a very big issue that is embedded in many other aspects that we will be discussing today. After this very short round of intro to open the discussion to the panel and give more time to address several more complex questions.
We will have a more dynamic interaction but perhaps can come back to you Minister and we hear a lot of the IGF about skills we hear about access and maybe you can tell us what is Nambia doing in this sense. (audio garbled).
>> In the country and now it has gone out and now in the country across the whole country. (Audio is garbled).
>> That's why we have (audio is garbled).
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Now I would like to move to Ambassador Eriksson and Global Gateway and in a more complex manner and how is the build of gender inclusive. Maybe you can give us an example of a concrete project in that sense. Thank you.
>> ROY ERIKSSON: Thank you. First a pitch on Global Gateway and then I will attempt to talk about how we can close the gender divide for an inclusive economic growth and from there coming back to Global Gateway. Global Gateway is an initiative launch from the European Union and commission by 2021. The aim is to mobilize 300 million euro's in infrastructure in emerging markets. I have to underline mobilize 300 billion euro's. It doesn't mean there is 300 billion somewhere in a magical purse, but we are trying to mobilize the private sector with the help of public money to take down the risks of projects so that we have projects that would not be materialized without this initial small help.
Global Gateway is considering investments in five different sectors. Digital being one of them, then education, health, climate, and renewable energy and logistics.
For Finland we have chosen to participate in projects mainly in digitalization and also in education and in lesser mode on climate and renewable energy.
Coming back to topic. First of course I would like to thank the organizers for giving me the opportunity to take the floor because this is an important forum that tackles very pertinent issues.
Technology has emerged as a key question for global development including inclusive economic growth. The issue of digital divide is very important as 2.6 billion people globally still have no access to the internet, but why is this an issue? It is because digital data flows in cyberspace and data is the new oil of the future.
If you allow this kind of comparisons societies, especially urban ones, are more and more relying on the use of digital information and with access to data people can improve their lives.
The digital transformation presents us with a wealth of opportunities that we need to grasp. At the same time it presents us challenges that we need to act on such as gender divide. As we move towards a more connected future closing this gender gap is crucial for ensuring growth and empowering women and girls to unlock their full potential.
With growing threats to peace and security we need to make sure that technology is a force for good and not used to amplify conflict and further instability and division globally. The UN and stakeholders have a key role in making sure that we have the tools to manage this process in the years ahead.
The Global Digital Compact provides an important framework in enhancing multilateral and corporations to bring the digital divide and enhancing the digital world. Finland was in the digital organization and stressing the human rights and improving digital connectivity and emerging technology and addressing the gender digital divide and investing in education and digital skills.
Finland underlines a multi‑stakeholder approach. My government sees technology as a key issue as a foreign and security policy. Concluding increased attention to private sector solutions and investments. We are committed to work internationally for digital development that is fair, inclusive, and sustainable with respect for human rights and gender equality.
We are pleased that our priorities including addressing the gender divide and extensively with the ongoing IGF. Globally we are far to reaching the target of universal connectivity and agenda in 2030. Despite good initiatives and concrete actions a lot remains to be done in order to tackle this challenge. The Global Digital Compact calls for digital divide and remote underserved areas. In this regard I want to highlight the need to mobilize more private investments and capital to meet these needs. Without adequate infrastructure in place the digital implementation remains locked in. We Finland stand ready to contribute to this process. If the time allows I would like to share concrete examples of our work towards closing the gender divide.
As a coleader of the UN generation equality action and coalition for gender equality we emphasize the pivotal role of digital technology to deliver women and girls must have equal and safe quality access to digital technologies as well as the necessary digital skills. Only having the whole nation as women and girls and men onboard digitally can the digital economy reach the full potential.
Finland has decades long tradition in promoting the rights of women and girls in its foreign and development policy. We believe that the multi‑stake corporation is in engaging the private sector. For instance through Finland's financer and investor we invest in technologies that are committed in advancing gender equality in Africa. Finland funds also various civil society organizations globally. With Finland's support enhancing digital safety of women human rights defenders and digital literacy of women and girls. Through the corporation Finland supports, for example, the creation of technology and decent work for opportunities for women in Morocco. We are also partnering with UNICEF for safe spaces for women and girls. The DHUB and Finland and union states and European Commission is enhancing in digital partnerships globally. This includes boosting joint investments between the UN partner countries.
The D for the Hub and gender digital divide. Finland takes for example, part in the team Europe initiative in Africa, concluding the regional data governance in Africa initiative.
We do not only build physical connectivity and especially underlining the importance to take connectivity to rural and underserved regions. That means that we provide our partners with skills so that they can utilize the new technologies. In this especially a greater importance is given to take women and girls into the picture as well.
In development aid human rights and gender equality are cross cutting and important themes and all are projects should have some element of these issues.
Lastly, I would like to underline our long standing support to IGF as we are here. Also doing a lot of work to promote the access of women and girls to the internet. In that way promoting our common objectives. In this context I would like to encourage other partners to step up their support to IGF and stakeholder model of governance. Which is in essence contributes to posing the gender divide. I look forward to the discussion and I'm happy to answer any questions you have especially regarding Global Gateway. Thank you so much.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much and thank you for Global Gateway. I will happily intervene in the next round and then open it to the public and what we heard from you is the need of private sector to step in. I heard this in different forums. Often the private sector is sometimes seen as a stereotypical force of funding and wonder how else it could step in. I'm sure that can tell us the funding aspect and how else can the private sector can contribute to closing the gender digital divide and maybe you can tell us more concrete examples from Estonia.
>> Estonia's history is interesting. We regained our independence in 1991, and this is when Estonia had to kind of invent what we're going to be or how we're going to develop.
We had very strong leadership and our prime minister and president were both for the way of digitalization. Our journey began about 30 years ago already. This was all collaboration between the private sector, public sector and also concluding the academia. My company is one of the two companies behind the creation of the Estonia data exchange platform that is also implemented in several other countries across the world, including Finland. This is, for example, one very good example of this pure private public partnership and also something that is making sure that society is inclusive to all genders and also people with disabilities and so on. In Estonia currently we like to say that we have 99% of services available online. Actually it is very close to 100 now. The last two services were getting married and getting divorced that weren't accessible online yet. Now these services are been digitalized as well. You just need to show up for the final signature to actually meet the person before getting married.
This is the operability platform and having inclusivity for also women and people in rural areas because you can have access to health care, financial inclusion, you can start the business from the convenience of your home within a couple of minutes. It takes a bit more time to open a bank account, but still you're not dependent to going to a physical office or traveling long distances and so on. Also in the very beginning in the development of Estonia, for example, the implementation of ID card is a very good example which was also done in collaboration between the private and public sector. The banks and were actually the first institutions to support the government in implementing these solutions and also the banks were the first ones to take these services into use. For example, in Estonia the banks were authorized to issue by the cards. You don't have government offices in all the rural areas. We now don't have bank offices as well. They're closing down because everything is moving into the digital world. You have offices only in the bigger Hubs. If you want to have, for example, consultation for receiving a loan you can do it all digitally.
Another example is a certification authority that was providing certifications for digital signature in Estonia, but digital signing that you could do at first with the ID card. Now we also have mobile app pay solution and smart ID or also mobile ID. All of those certifications was provided by a private sector authority which was authorized to do so by the government, so these are some of the examples that we have and that has provided a very good access to the services and also we have made ID card mandatory since the age of 16 all of the citizens or like adult citizens in Estonia have it. This is also a tool which enables you to have access to Digital Services in the country.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much. We heard so much about access and skills, which is and brings us to the first part of the panel where we discussed about the biggest barriers to closing the gender digital divide. Thank you so much for sharing the leadership of Estonia. It is very inspiring. I experienced it myself. I was on a study VISA and got to see how digitalized it is and how many categories of people. We talked about bottom up initiatives. We talked about very practical private sector/public sector initiatives. Now it is time to go to a high‑level I'm afraid. Radka I'm looking at you.
Youth plan. It is also important to understand what are the higher and broader frameworks. You can give us the pitch for the EU action plan and easy to grasp and at the same time how it interacts of the work of the UN and how the EU at the UN working on gender. Thank you.
>> RADKA SIBILLE: Thank you so much. Indeed the EU Gender Action Plan is already in its third edition. It is a very ambitious framework that binds the EU to mainstream gender and to promote gender equality and women's empowerment in all our actions. Concluding externally with third countries towards the UN et cetera. When it comes to digitalization sector. For instance we use the Gender Action Plan of the EU to focus on digital skills of women and girls. Also in partnership with third countries as was mentioned this was important to promote access for instance to financial services because when you want to launch a startup or any kind of digital platform you would need some kind of capital at the beginning. I was just, you know, in that sense looking at some statistics. For instance, the women tech statistics were saying unfortunately 2.3% women led startups get venture led capital funding. That is with the trust issues raised here before and that women cannot make it in the tech. We're trying to address that also through our project.
Last but not least we are also trying to promote women entrepreneurship and women literacy skills. One of the projects we have launched successfully is Vamos which tries to promote digital skills and coding skills in high school with a particular focus on women and girls. Again, this is the gender lens that we try to use in all our projects. We always try to look at women and girls can participate in that project and try to bring them to the table.
When it comes to the UN it really is grateful that you mentioned it. The UN just agreed at international level the Global Digital Compact, which was adopted by the General Assembly has a strong human rights based approach in technology in general. Basically saying all our work in digital corporation needs to be embedded in human rights law. In particular it mentions the gender equality is one of the principles. In the European union in negotiating was one of the support of the supporters. We believe it is important to have everybody in the table. Now that we face the global digital compact we have to see how we can work together and EU is trying to do it as team Europe. We need other partners to close the digital divide before the 2030 SDG submit that is already fast approaching. Thank you.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: This is an incredibly ambitious target to make it by 2030. Like with many extreme challenges that we're facing it is important to put our ambitions in those goals. We heard about innovation and heard about startups and coding and get women into tech. Maybe we can hear from Ravin Rizgar on your work and Suli Innovation House and maybe you can share with us how you came up with the idea and challenges that you encountered and what is the success story of the Innovation House at this stage. Thank you.
>> RAVIN RIZGAR: Thank you for asking this question because this is starting from my only story. I do really want to point where there is a challenge and that is where innovation comes in. I myself once graduated as a top student on my class. Studying manufacturing and engineering in the tech sector. I tried to find a job in my field and realizing that all my classmates found jobs in different factories and international ones. For me it was just a lot of rejection from lots of companies, including the one that they say they're gender inclusive saying that, "You know the factory is all men. You have the skill. We are afraid it is difficult to work within an area where you not find other females. " It was very disappointing. I know my skill and ambitious to find a job. That is where the idea started and looking at all the other female friends and other females in the community and all going through the same challenge.
I actually wanted to build a home where we can share our stories. Where we can talk about the challenge that we are facing. Even the ones that they had job and daily basis being discriminated. Somehow not compared to the guys that they are working in the private sector and facing different problems. They're giving jobs that don't match the qualifications and forced to do that job. That is the idea started. I'm thankful to all the companies that reject me. They are the reason where I am now and founding Suli Innovation House and doing capacity with another women. Which I see more than 300 of them they found a job and they are some of them that they have their own startup. I'm very thankful to them. At the same time right now they are sponsoring the programs that we are running, which is very impressive and making them to come and support programs that is supporting other women.
So that's the story. In terms of numbers as Suli Innovation House as I mentioned, only females in one of our programs and targeting women only called Leading Women. We have skills of women in digital skills, tech skills, and also including soft skill for 600 women, for which 53% of them found jobs. We are very happy with the result and planning for more to come in 2025. Thank you.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much. I think the number speak for themselves. Thank you so much for sharing your story and extremely inspiring for other people that hear it. I encourage you to seek out partnerships in this sense.
Speaking about community driven approaches I'm moving now to Valeria Betancourt. I would like to hear more about her work and how you shape inclusive policies in the Latin American region and what is the role of communities and how do you form a community in this space in the first place.
>> VALERIA BETANCOURT: Thank you very much. First I will express the word that my colleagues and network does. I think first of all, it is very important to situate the conversation about inclusion and overcoming the gender digital gap in the moment that we are in. The Global Digital Compact has been mentioned. It provides a very important updated framework of the challenges that we face.
I would like to bring attention of another process in our view that represents the perspective and challenges of the global south and countries in the region, which is plus 20 review of the world summit on the information society.
Why I mention this is because the emphasis is on people. The vision was precisely on people rather than the digital. I think it is time to look again at that vision and to put people and planet in the center. And that vision we have the opportunity also to build on community‑based approaches. Community driven approaches that work with the gender justice lens and open much more possibilities for digital policies to recognize, as I was saying the problem is structural. Also the fact that technologies really are enablers of rights and development and inclusion and also the tools and spaces in which (no audio).
That economic growth equates development and inclusion. Also helps us to overcome this assumption that should come from a single stakeholder. While we have seen in the practice is that only through meaningful effective collaboration and alliances and partnerships between the public sector, private sector, academia and civil society organizations and communities and actors we can respond to the particular way in which communities, in which women and girls and nonconforming people experience technology.
I really want to highlight the fact that this bottom up approaches with the communities at the center are also the way in which this alliances can really respond to meet particular challenges. There are several examples on how we can place this gender justice and community driven approach in the core of the interventions oriented to bridge the digital gap.
For instance there are several experiences about women circles that are part of the decision making buddies and also decision in relation to how technology is designed. Not only the governance of the technologies but also how the technologies are developed and designing the first place. Sound and solid methodologies to really incorporate those approaches since the beginning because that is the only way that these bottom up approaches can respond to specific realities and needs if we want to narrow the digital divide.
Those will also help to contract the washing that has happened in interventions. Even if they have good intentions they are not able because the distance that they have in the real needs and particularities of the barriers that women face in order to be able to really overcome those.
So I think that is a good way to do it. The different stakeholders working together can put the communities in the center and be able to design solutions that could meet the particular needs and context.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much for sharing that. This panel in itself is an illustration that multi‑stakeholders are not just a buzz word and hear how this resonates in the private sector and equally keen to invest especially in the coding camps. The government is interested in that and private sector and inevitably is going to have a good work source and we have to help and empower women and give them the space and trust to take part in those activities. We have the international institutions that come with broader frameworks. We have the communities that are there. So that is very beautiful illustration of how this multi‑stakeholders are in practice and more tangible and often the words and high‑level documents make it seem.
That being said thank you so much to our public. You have been very patient and very interested. Now maybe I'll give the floor to Ambassador Eriksson and the audience online.
>> ROY ERIKSSON: Thank you to this group and interesting panel. One thing that I think is important is for women to have role models. I know a person, a woman in Finland with a similar background of what you mentioned. She could a in the get a job in tech sectors and she was frustrated about it, and she started a movement called Chicks Can Code. She has her organized workshops. Not knowing if there is any demand for that or if anybody would be interested. She started small. The house was full. Then, okay. Let's have another one. Again, the house was full. Again and again. She actually started then her own business and has workshops throughout Finland on how women can also get involved in coding. It is not something that you have to have to do. Women can do it as well. She has been a great success.
Bringing and closing the gender gap we need good role models. Now girls have seen that she's been a success. Coding is no longer something is just for boys. Girls are interested in that as well. It has had for the whole of the Finland economy good beneficial outcomes because our gaming sector is now really booming and being successful. It couldn't be successful without the women. That's just what I wanted to say. Thank you.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much. If you allow me to add one more thing. You mentioned role models. At the same time we need allies. Often the gender policies are left to the women, and it is often that they feel the pressure and responsibility to fight for it. It is extremely important to have allies and have everyone get involved in this because the economic benefits and just the benefits of this concerns everyone.
Thank you for being an ally with us today on the panel and thank you to everyone in the public that is here.
That being said I'm going to open to everyone. I know we have concluding people in the IT industry. Especially in the video games. I'm opening it to the public in the room and online. Perhaps we can start in the room. Do we have microphones? Thank you.
>> Thank you. Excellency I feel called out to say a few words. We would want to continue on this amazing discussion. I have more inspiration for the upcoming meeting. Today at 1545 where the UN agency helping the innovators and creators and intellectual property and where we will have host role models from the industry and industry leaders. As well as trying to highlight the important skill studies and games and apps and understanding and how to manage the creativity and innovation and system and IP tools that we're trying to highlight and raise awareness about this event. I feel inspired by all the words mentioned here today.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much. We see not only in between the panels but within the event. Thank you so much. The floor is yours.
>> Good morning. My name is Peter. I'm from Liberia. I firstly want to thank our panelist for all what they have said, but in our intro, during the intro one of them said that the tech force is dominated by men. The question is why the tech force is dominated by men? Are men stopping women from getting involved? Is it a behavior of the women to not get involved? And so what can we do to get women involved into tech? Because once you use the word tech oh, it is for men. Even in schools when you talk about the sciences and physicist and mathematics. Oh, it is for men. You have women limited participation into technology. Now the challenge is back to them. The need to work on the niche behavior of not getting involved. I believe the more women are involved into technology the tech they will be heard. They will not be marginalized. Things will go the way we all expected it to go. I put it to them. What can they do to work on the minds of our girls to get involved. What can they do? This is my question.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much. Perhaps taking another intervention and then I will bring the question back to the panel.
>> Thank you so much. I have a question and a comment together. I work with Library Aid Africa. My comment is empowering women and young girls with data skills and literacy skills and explore the benefits of digital economy rise. There is a huge potential here. To leverage libraries as key partners for digital literacy skills and empowerment. Libraries have infrastructure and space to deliver trainings. It is something that we have done before, and fellows trained young women. Not just that. Also empowering librarians and libraries with distributing and trying to scale in libraries. I'm curious to know from the panelist here in the context of what pathways here to engage libraries in your plans and collaborate engagement to skill and development empowerment for women and young girls. Thank you.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much. Another intervention and then we move to the panel.
>> Thank you. My name is Catherine Muma. A senator from Kenya. I just want to comment the panel. I think I enjoyed every presentation acknowledging that while over we are more as women, but we are not as present as we ought to be. The tech world has ran way ahead and left women behind. That is something that we need to acknowledge. That it has helped to visualize the actual patriarchal that there are in the societies and across the world. I found the solution that you're giving practical. I think I will speak to you that what happens in Kenya can happen in Uganda. By the way, my daughter is an engineer. She is frustrated and companies going through exactly what you're saying. She is there and have capabilities and men won't trust her to do this. I will be happy to just engage with you and back to Kenya. I will take it back to the Kenya Women's Movement to engage further and get more women on board. Thank you very much.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much for this round. We will bring it back to the panel and then open it again to the floor. On top of everything that was said I encourage you to approach Ambassador Roy Eriksson and talk about the Global Gateway and the type of projects that can be financed and created under the Global Gateway umbrella.
Bringing us back to the first question about how women can get involved and what women must do. Perhaps I will give the floor to Valeria Betancourt to give us maybe since you have the vision of the community level you can give us a few clear examples on how to approach and perhaps frame this question.
>> VALERIA BETANCOURT: Sure. Absolutely. Thank you very much.
First I think we have to understand what are my colleagues of the panel have been saying. The interventions have to be multidimensional and facetted and framework that allow for the coexistence of different models and ways for connectivity. That will create conditions for the regulatory and legal frameworks to be able to precisely deploy community networks and infrastructures that is owned by the community and a way to ensure the financial sustainability for instance. The regulatory framework is one level and possibility of what I'm saying and allowing the assistance of complementary models for bridging the digital gap.
Second I think financial mechanisms. As part of the implementation Global Digital Compact and review of the plus 20 years of the world summit society we are witnesses a revamping the agenda and concluding the restructuring of the financial global architecture that has to mirror what is happening with the financial mechanism at national level.
For instance, the global south and I guess many other regions as well and Latin America in particular there is roles that the universal service funds can play in ensuring the financial sustainability of women led initiatives of women led enterprises based on digital technologies. I think that is very important. Ensuring these kind of deep investment, focus investment for the ensuring the sustainability of community driven initiatives is very important.
Also, there are very important communities that have a very strong feminist imprint in Latin America. That is the case of community networks in Brazil and Columbia and in Mexico that have been working together in the community and also in partnerships. As I was saying to be able to put in practice the feminist principles of the internet. Also other guidelines that different groups have developed in order to make sure that the digital policies are truly inclusive and gender sensitive.
I would like to mention in particular two initiatives in Latin America. It is a mapping. A kind of mapping of best practices that inter Americans and telecommunication commissions have started in many order to precisely shed light in what are the best practices to ensure the digital policies are gender inclusive and gender sensitive. Gender states have been invited and there is a concrete example and recent one in Columbia. There is a partnership and project that is oriented precisely to connect the unconnected in rural areas in the country. It is interesting to see how that partnership is allowing the intervention in the different levels that I have mentioned. To be able to encourage and promote policy dialogue in the country that will help to precisely work in the regulatory framework and digital policy that are sustainable in time and work closely at the community and community levels to deploy and capacity building programs for women and girls and nonconforming people in order to be able to make most of the use of technologies.
Those are the examples that are there. They are well documented, and I think we can learn from experiences in those countries. Regulatory development in Mexico and allowing deploying of indigenous communities and women have the governance in those communities and technical running and governance of those initiatives.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much. Before opening it to the panel maybe I can add something on women getting involved and the regulations. It sounds very abstract. In reality the buzz word is artificial intelligence. In one way artificial intelligence is being used, if there is no regulatory framework prohibited is employment. The way that artificial intelligence is an algorithm trade on data. Historically, these types of jobs. Jobs in tech and higher pay were given to men, then the algorithm when looked through CV will take out the best CV's of men. Those women will not receive an invitation to the interview. Those companies will not be allowed to do that without oversight and clearly a path to women to get invited to the interview and be competitive as males in those positions. In a pragmatic way that's how through regulatory frameworks to control these technologies and regulatory framework in the EU.
Going back to the panels if anyone wants to address the first one and speak about libraries. Please. Thank you.
>> I also wanted to add something to the first question. I know I it will prolong it. The reality of the fact is that there are religious cultural barriers and thinking of going into a tech field. The discussion in the household. You become an anomaly. When I was in high school you are allowed to choose subjects. At least three that you want to do. I didn't want to do home economics. You learn how to knit and learn at home. I learned that with parents and guardians. I wanted to do computer studies. In that Class 32 females. Nobody stopped them to do computer studies. Just social engineering. Just a conversation of what is possible and not possible. Nobody said don't do that. It becomes subconscious without you as the person not knowing. Even the people around you, not knowing that they're socially engineering you not to take some of these career paths that are not primarily geared towards girls. It is a serious conversation to have. Before a child decides a university and choose this particular career somebody should have been in their ear for years and years in the end and telling them what is possible and not possible for them. It is silent. It is not out there, but it is what is impacting the performance of girls to get into science and tech.
Even in the workplace the social engineering and implementation and being a young engineer officer and wanting to be an executive. Already the environment is telling you that you might not succeed. Even make it to the interview. I can like women in politics, women in business. It is the same thing just in different sectors. It is the same thing all across.
In the libraries in our model in every standing asset is an opportunity for us to do the training. We use libraries as a place where we can give computer literacy training. The basics and how to type. How to type a CV. How to print. It might seem for all of us that have advanced skills it might seem like; how can somebody not know that. There are a lot of people that do not know that. That's why we use the libraries. Second we use ICT centers and minister of youth. This is targeted to young people, male and female. It is a standing infrastructure. The government has invested into that infrastructure five and ten years ago. Sometimes we put five laptops make such a big difference in ensuring that space is a hub for somebody that wants to learn computer and digital literacy.
The third place is exploring post offices. We have them even in the most rural parts of the country. People get mail. That is the infrastructure that was invested a few years back. We're trying to see how to ensure that every post office has a computer or a laptop for the community to learn how to use online spaces and part digital literacy skills.
We almost anticipate that will have an even bigger impact to train more women and girls in using computers, in using smartphones as a way to ensure that they get the literacy skills.
Every standing infrastructure is an opportunity to train. An opportunity to impart skills. It is how policymakers, community actors and private sector come together to use that space to impart those necessary skills. I've challenged our private sector to say, by the year 2030, no person young and old should not have basic digital literacy skills. We're only 3 million people. I can almost believe that by 2030 every citizen must at least know how to use a laptop. Must know how to use a smartphone to run something and have an email. To be able to put their business online and how to navigate websites and how to apply for a job online. The basic skills to get somebody from level zero to level one, two, and three. We don't want to take that for granted. We want to close the gap around digital literacy skills. Whether from a gender lens or any other lens across the country. Thank you.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much for your answer. Please.
>> Thank you. When I was going to university my first degree was business administration and languages. My uncle told me when he heard that I'm going to attend the university he said nonsense. Women and business that's nonsense. You should find a rich husband. Stay at home and have children and not go to the university.
This is what we are talking about. It is happening everywhere all over the world. This is the environment that we come from. I wanted to make an example and also talk about the libraries. From Estonia this is how we actually also started our digitalization journey that we created internet access points. We did also use the libraries and we also created computer classes. One computer class to each school all over Estonia and provided computer lessons. Not only to the general public but also when we're talking about gender equality we also need to talk about the elderly and inclusivity of the elderly. They also need to access services.
This is what helped us a lot and this is also something that was done in collaboration with private and public sectors. Largely funded by the private sector because computers were coming from the private sector. This is where also happy to represent the digital for development hub here which is the Initiative or Strategic Platform created by the European member states to boost the digital transformation and investments around it. The focus is very like human‑centric. Also gender topic is a cross cutting topic in all of the initiatives. I'm very happy to see that.
I'm here because I'm representing the private sector advisory group. We also have the Civil Society Advisory Group. I think this is a good example for a platform and collaboration. We need more of these neutral platforms where we can talk together. The private and public sector. Innovation usually happens in the private sector. Somehow we are afraid of the private sector. We don't trust the public sector. We need those collaborations and actually discuss with each other and then we will have better ideas and inclusivity.
Also one of my thoughts that I wanted to add here is that we need to ‑‑ we have heard the topic of women having difficulties into entering the job market in tech field and so on.
What we need to do is boost or encourage women entrepreneurship and women founder and CEO and innovation that we have. Women are more eager to take women on board. This is also what I have seen and mentored young girls a lot that when they're ending up in a very men focused company they struggle a lot and have a lot of issues. Quite a lot they're seen as assistants bringing coffee. We need to boost women entrepreneurship. Thank you.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much. Thank you for your patience and being here. We're running out of time. Unfortunately, we have one last intervention from each panelist. I will start from the other worder from which I started. I will ask you to think of one key insight that you got from this panel. Try to frame it in a call to action. I will start with Valeria Betancourt.
>> VALERIA BETANCOURT: A call to action. Can you hear me? Yes. A call to action.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: 30 seconds, please.
>> VALERIA BETANCOURT: My call to action is to take the responsibility that every stakeholder has for ensuring that we can bridge the digital gap. It is not a matter of just one single actor can respond the responses. Both approaches in history shows what might be the best possible way is putting people in the communities in the center to be able to provide solutions that are meaningful to people so digital technologies can help improve the lives and open opportunities not only to enter and to access to economic justice but also social justice and environmental justice that for communities is essential in order to also ensure the integrity, safety, and wellbeing of themselves and the planet.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much. Maybe we can move to Kedi Välba in the interest of passing the microphone around. Thank you.
>> KEDI VÄLBA: Yes. Thank you. We have heard a lot of good here today. I would just like the conversation to continue in that sense. It will not only remain a conversation, but we have also very concrete actions following. Under the initiative this is something that we're looking at very seriously and gender equality is one of the aspects that is included in every project.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much. Ambassador Roy Eriksson.
>> ROY ERIKSSON: Thank you so much. Taking action and digital divide and empowering women. We really need to look at what is benefitting women, and everybody is on board.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you. Minister.
>> EU AMBASSADOR MR. CHRISTOPHE FARNAUD: It means that we have a role to play in the communities and respected people. Everywhere you go. At a family wedding and encourage women to step up. STEM fields encourage them to go above and beyond and explore job careers, study careers in the tech field. Your work can be an encouragement can be for them. They go a long way to encourage people to take up careers.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much.
>> RAVIN RIZGAR: . Ravin Rizgar if it is not safe, even if you bring and connect all those that are unconnected today, including women they are the human rights online should be protected at they are offline.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much.
>> RADKA SIBILLE: In Finland is quite making us all to work on empower. We have to empower women and continue this in every part of the world. Please, if you have a friend, a family member that is female and trying to start something show support. Even if it is a few words of encouragement that would be appreciated. Just keep supporting. Thank you.
>> ANDA BOLOGA: Thank you so much. Thank you to the wonderful public today and the panelist. I encourage you to go to them. Speak up and look for partnerships and multi‑stakeholder perspectives. Thank you.