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STORY: UN / TECHNOLOGY WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
TRT: 03:52
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: CHINESE / SPANISH / ENGLISH
DATELINE: 11 MARCH 2025, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, United Nations headquarters
11 MARCH 2025, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Huang Xiaowei, the Secretary, the All-China Women's Federation, China:
“A new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating, profoundly reshaping the global economic landscape and governance systems, the Global South is experiencing a collective rise, gaining momentum and playing an increasingly prominent role. This event, focusing on technological transformation and women's empowerment, provides a valuable opportunity to share experiences from the Global South, discuss Women's Development Strategies and promote international cooperation.”
4. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
5. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Zonya Rivero Lopez, the Second Secretary, the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC), Cuba:
“Similar to global trends, the gender digital divide is expressed from childhood when, in accordance with stereotypes, girls and boys begin to express different inclinations in the field of knowledge. In Cuba, although more than 60 per cent of university graduates are women, they represent only 30 per cent of the graduates of the University of Computer Sciences.”
6. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Angela Chomba Kawandami, Permanent Secretary, the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, Zimbabwe:
“There is a serious limitation in digital literacy. Generally, girls have lower education attainment than boys, thus limiting their digital literacy skills. Technology training programs may not be designed to address the specific needs and context of women. Additionally, women's financial dependence on male family members limits their ability to purchase devices or Internet access.”
8. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Sima Bahous, UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director:
“While the digital revolution holds great promise, its challenges are vast, and we must face them together with urgency and with resolve. Technology can be a force for change, a catalyst for women's empowerment, and in the Global South, it already is. Mobile banking services have opened doors for women entrepreneurs. Telemedicine has expanded health care access to communities long under this underserved and in China, for example, women make up almost 46% of the Science and Technology workforce.”
10. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Sima Bahous, UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director:
“We ask, how can we ensure that technology becomes a tool for inclusion, not exclusion? How can we guarantee that women and girls everywhere, especially in the Global South, have the skills, opportunities and protections they need to thrive in the digital world as the United Nations gender equality is central to global digital transformation. Efforts, from Action Coalition on technology and innovation for gender equality to the global digital compact outlined in the Pact for the Future. Our message is clear, collective action is the catalyst for meaningful change.”
12. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Natalia Kanem, Under-Secretary-General, Executive Director, UNFPA:
“There are 2.6 billion people in the world. More than a quarter of us do not have connectivity, and most of the people that we're talking about are indeed women and girls, mostly in poor countries, who are lacking access to the internet and to other vital resources that could improve their lives and better the prospects of their communities.”
14. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
“While the digital revolution holds great promise, its challenges are vast, and we must face them together with urgency and with resolve,” said UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous at a high-level discussion on technology and women’s empowerment.
The event, held on the sidelines of the sixty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women, brought together global leaders to address the gender digital divide, with a focus on the Global South. Discussions highlighted disparities in access to digital tools and education, as well as the economic and social barriers that limit women's participation in technology sectors.
Huang Xiaowei, Secretary of the All-China Women's Federation, noted the significant shifts in the global economic landscape driven by technological advancements. “The Global South is experiencing a collective rise, gaining momentum and playing an increasingly prominent role,” she said. “This event, focusing on technological transformation and women's empowerment, provides a valuable opportunity to share experiences from the Global South, discuss Women's Development Strategies and promote international cooperation.”
Speakers underscored how gender disparities in digital access begin in childhood. Zonya Rivero Lopez, Second Secretary of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC), pointed out that societal norms often discourage young girls from pursuing technology fields. “Similar to global trends, the gender digital divide is expressed from childhood when, in accordance with stereotypes, girls and boys begin to express different inclinations in the field of knowledge,” she said. “In Cuba, although more than 60 per cent of university graduates are women, they represent only 30 per cent of the graduates of the University of Computer Sciences.”
Financial and structural barriers further hinder women's participation in technology. Angela Chomba Kawandami, Permanent Secretary of Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, highlighted the role of economic dependence and limited access to digital training. “There is a serious limitation in digital literacy. Generally, girls have lower education attainment than boys, thus limiting their digital literacy skills,” she said. “Technology training programs may not be designed to address the specific needs and context of women.”
Despite these challenges, Bahous emphasized the potential of technology as a “catalyst for women's empowerment.” She pointed to mobile banking services that have enabled women entrepreneurs, telemedicine expanding healthcare access, and the growing representation of women in China’s science and technology workforce. “In China, for example, women make up almost 46 per cent of the Science and Technology workforce,” she said.
Addressing the wider implications of the gender digital gap, UNFPA Executive Director Natalia Kanem warned that billions remain disconnected. “There are 2.6 billion people in the world. More than a quarter of us do not have connectivity, and most of the people that we're talking about are indeed women and girls, mostly in poor countries, who are lacking access to the internet and to other vital resources that could improve their lives and better the prospects of their communities,” she said.
Sima Bahous called for collective action to ensure digital inclusion. “We ask, how can we ensure that technology becomes a tool for inclusion, not exclusion?” she said. “Our message is clear: collective action is the catalyst for meaningful change.”
