Opinion | Asia’s digital revolution must not leave its women and girls behind
- The digital revolution is a game changer across all spheres of development, but technological advances risk perpetuating existing inequality
- Women and girls in the Asia-Pacific need equitable internet access, online safety and educational opportunities to ensure an inclusive digital transformation
Between March 6 and 17, representatives of UN member states will convene in New York for the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. They will deliberate on innovation, technological change and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and empowerment of women and girls.
As the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women, the Commission on the Status of Women has been instrumental in promoting women’s rights and shaping global standards on gender equality.
This 67th session provides a critical opportunity to shape a global normative framework on technology and innovation that advances a human-centred approach to digitalisation, with feminist principles of inclusion at its core. It can ensure women and girls are properly supported to accelerate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals.
However, technological advances risk perpetuating existing patterns of discrimination and gender inequality. According to the International Telecommunications Union, 69 per cent of men globally used the internet in 2022 compared to 63 per cent of women. As of 2022, only 30 per cent of women in the least developed countries used the internet compared to 92 per cent in high-income countries.