The Status of Women in a Digital Age
6th March 2023
The 67th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67), the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment, takes place from today, 6th March until March 17th, under the theme, “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”.
The digital age is creating new and unprecedented opportunities to improve the lives of women and girls around the world. Digital technologies are rapidly transforming all spheres of life, including our economic, social and political systems—establishing new entrance points and platforms for historically marginalized groups.
It is also creating unprecedented threats to their wellbeing. Online spaces provide new venues for violence against women, offering perpetrators increased anonymity and impunity. Discrimination in the tech sector and bias in automated systems themselves perpetuate and further entrench gender inequalities. And a lack of global laws and regulations leaves vulnerable groups further exposed to rights and privacy violations.
In the context of COVID-19 and numerous other intersecting global crises, access to online spaces has become even more crucial. As we move into the future, we must ensure we don’t leave women and girls in the past.
CSW67 provides a unique chance to shape our digital future for the better. Over the next two weeks, governments, civil society organizations, experts and activists from around the world will unite to face the challenges – and further the enormous potential – held by technology for the empowerment of all women and girls.
Taking place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 6 to 17 March 2023, the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) will address the gap that exists for women and girls in accessing digital spaces and skills, as well as the dangers they face from online violence. Representatives of Member States, UN entities, civil society organizations, youth groups, and activists from all regions of the world will come together to shape a future where technology and innovations are harnessed to accelerate the achievement of 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
United Nations’ Observance of International Women’s Day 2023
Where: It will be webcast on UN Women and UN Web TV.
When: 8 March 2023, 10–11.30am EST
Why: United Nations’ Observance of International Women’s Day 2023
Theme: “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”
Aligned with the priority theme of CSW67, the UN observance of IWD recognizes and celebrates the women and girls who are championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education and curtailing the impact of the digital gender gap on widening economic and social inequalities.
The high-level event will bring together technologists, innovators, entrepreneurs, and gender equality activists to provide an opportunity to highlight the role of all stakeholders in improving access to digital tools. The opening remarks will be followed by a high-level panel discussion and musical performances.
Participants will include:
- E. Mr. António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General
- E. Mr. Csaba Kőrösi, President of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly
- E. Ms. Mathu Joyini, Chair, 67th Commission on the Status of Women
- Marie Bjerre, Minister for Digitalization, IT Technology and Gender Equality, Denmark
- Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, via video message
- Sima Bahous, UN Women Executive Director
- Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General, International Telecommunications Union
- Gitanjali Rao, 17-year-old inventor, innovator, author, STEM promoter, UNICEF Youth Advocate
It will be webcast on UN Women and UN Web TV.
