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UNU-WIDER highlights innovation and technology for gender equality on International Women's Day

To mark International Women’s Day (IWD), the United Nations World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) is supporting this year’s United Nations Observance of IWD, DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality, through a United Nations University-wide campaign to highlight the importance of innovation and technology in promoting gender equality. As part of this campaign, the institute spoke to women at UNU-WIDER to gain insights into how equal access to technology can lead to better gender equality outcomes. By encouraging dialogue and engagement on this important issue, UNU-WIDER aims to promote greater awareness and understanding of the ways in which innovation and technology can contribute to advancing gender equality.

UNU-WIDER’s 2019–23 work programme maps the interlinked development challenges of transforming economies, states, and societies against a range of SDGs, including SDG 5: Gender equality. As an organization committed to mobilize research for action through the ongoing processes in the UN and its member states, the institute is passionate about creating and amplifying evidence-based policy formulation to support the next generation of women and girls who will leverage technology and unlock innovation for better economic outcomes.

Several UNU-WIDER research papers and UN Women reports have pointed to gender equality as a key factor for building more sustainable societies. These documents show that despite progress, women and girls still face a number of disparities in terms of access to education, economic opportunities, and technological advances. This has led to a digital divide which is a barrier to achieving gender equality and the broader objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. If the challenge is not addressed, society risks leaving women and girls behind.

As part of its commitment to support women and girls, UNU-WIDER has taken concrete steps to upskill women by equipping them with technology-focused training programmes that will support their careers in development and policy-related fields. By investing in early-career researchers with these capacity-building trainings, we can ensure that their voices and perspectives are represented in the policymaking world of tomorrow.

This year, UNU-WIDER’s IWD campaign highlights our continued efforts to identify key areas to promote gender equality at a scale that women and girls deserve. The institute realizes that achieving gender equality is crucial for unlocking the full potential of economies worldwide, and that ongoing economic policy research will continue to play a crucial role in advancing this goal.

Follow the #UNU4SDG5 #IWD2023 hashtags on LinkedIn and Twitter over the next couple of days to learn more about how UNU-WIDER colleagues think we can prioritize gender equality and work collaboratively to address the digital divide and create a better future for all.