By Kester Omu
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) says only one month remains to nominate outstanding initiatives that use the power of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to empower women and girls, for the prestigious Equals in Tech Awards.
The ICT arm of the United Nations said nominations are being accepted through 15 September 2017, with submissions encouraged from around the globe, including self-nominations..
The ‘Equals in Tech Awards’ initiative is designed to promote gender equality and mainstreaming in technology. The awards are part of EQUALS, an ITU and UN Women global partnership working to achieve gender equality in the digital age – with the support of a growing list of partner companies and non-governmental organizations. In addition to supporting gender equality in the ICT field and advancing the role of women as ICT decision-makers, the awards also showcase how ICTs can be used to dramatically improve social, political and economic outcomes for women and girls.
The Equals in Tech Awards also bring valuable attention to all nominees and the important work that they are doing to bring tech to women and women to tech. As such, nominations are encouraged from all sectors – governments, companies, non-profit organizations, individuals, etc.
The nominated initiatives will be judged by a distinguished panel of partners and previous winners, recognized as Equals in Tech Advisors. Members include representatives of the British Computer Society Chartered Institute for IT, the StrongHer initiative, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, the World Wide Web Foundation, the Working to Advance STEM Education for African Women Foundation, and the Internet Society.
The Equals in Tech Awards are presented in three categories:
Access: Develop gender-responsive ICT governance, policy and access: initiatives focused on new legislation, policy frameworks or internal corporate strategy to improve women’s digital technology access, connectivity and security.
Skills: Encourage women and girls to pursue education in STEM studies: initiatives encouraging more women in the STEM field (science, technology, engineering and math), focusing on the development of more relevant content, and addressing and overcoming cultural and social barriers that women face when entering a STEM education.
Leadership: Promote women in the technology sector: initiatives that promote gender equality in ICT careers, especially initiatives where girls and women are cultivated as creators, developers, leaders and decision-makers.
The prestigious Equals in Tech Awards ceremony will held in Geneva, Switzerland, during the Internet Governance Forum taking place 18-21 December 2017