• As Nigeria sends 100 delegates to UN meeting in New York
The Federal Government has raised concerns about the growing inequality gap in access to digital skills by women, saying the world is losing $1trillion yearly to the lack of inclusion.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, pointed out that the United Nations Women 2022 Women’s snapshot report revealed that women’s exclusion from the digital world has shaved $1 trillion from the gross domestic product of low and middle-income countries in the last decade, saying the loss could grow to $1.5 trillion by 2025 without action. She maintained that to reverse the trend, the report recommended tackling the problem of online violence, which 38 per cent of women had personally experienced.
The Minister said this while presenting a keynote address at the delegates pre-departure briefing and meeting on the 67th session of the UN commission on status of Women organised by Plan International yesterday in Abuja.
Tallen, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, explained that the UN Commission on the Status of Women (UN CSW) is the principal global policy-making body dedicated exclusively to gender equality and the advancement of women,
She said yearly, representatives of member-states gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards, and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment worldwide.
The Minister noted that a gender-responsive approach to innovation, technology and digital education can increase the awareness of women and girls regarding their rights and civic engagement, saying advancements in digital technology offer immense opportunities to address development and humanitarian challenges, and to achieve the 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals.”
She added that bringing women and other marginalized groups into technology results in more creative solutions and has greater potential for innovations that meet women’s needs and promote gender equality.
The Director Women Empowerment department, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Funke Oladipo stated that the pre-departure meeting was aimed to sensitize about 100 delegates from MDAs, CSOs among others that have signified interest to attend the UN CSW meeting in New York.
