岡庭大使のUNITAR国際女性デー公開イベント開会式への出席 挨拶文
令和3年3月20日
I would like to thank UNITAR for inviting me to speak at this important event.
Japan has been promoting STEM for women and girls both at home and abroad. In Japan, STEM education for women and girls is being vigorously promoted, so much so that there is a word tod to describe women pursuing studies or careers in STEM, “Rikejo”. Turning to the international arena, at the G20 Osaka Summit in 2019 chaired by Japan, the G20 leaders committed to improving access to STEM education for women and girls. In the same year, at the TICAD 7 also hosted by Japan, the African leaders, Japan and the development partners committed to supporting women entrepreneurs in the continent by promoting STEM education and training.
In our efforts to achieve gender equality, women empowerment is crucial. In today’s world, the ability to harness digital technology will go a long way in promoting empowerment of women. Unfortunately, in reality, women and girls lag behind in access to education and training in STEM. Unless we redouble our efforts to promote STEM education for women and girls, there is a risk of further aggravating the existing gender gap.
Japan very much appreciates the training programs implemented by UNITAR Division of Prosperity in Hiroshima, for capacity development of women in STEM. Currently, with contribution from Japan, UNITAR is providing online training to 80 women from government, civil society and academia in Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. We are also supporting another program that will develop digital literacy of participants both women and men from the Sahel region. Once the participants complete these programs, we hope they make use of the acquired skills to achieve success in their respective activities.
While the current pandemic has severely affected all of us, the measures to control the spread of the virus has accelerated the existing trend of digital transformation. While conventional activities had to be restrained, online activities such as e-commerce and e-government have expanded significantly. This is why promoting women in STEM is all the more important.
I commend UNITAR for focusing on this issue on the occasion of the International Women’s Day.
Thank you for your attention.
Japan has been promoting STEM for women and girls both at home and abroad. In Japan, STEM education for women and girls is being vigorously promoted, so much so that there is a word tod to describe women pursuing studies or careers in STEM, “Rikejo”. Turning to the international arena, at the G20 Osaka Summit in 2019 chaired by Japan, the G20 leaders committed to improving access to STEM education for women and girls. In the same year, at the TICAD 7 also hosted by Japan, the African leaders, Japan and the development partners committed to supporting women entrepreneurs in the continent by promoting STEM education and training.
In our efforts to achieve gender equality, women empowerment is crucial. In today’s world, the ability to harness digital technology will go a long way in promoting empowerment of women. Unfortunately, in reality, women and girls lag behind in access to education and training in STEM. Unless we redouble our efforts to promote STEM education for women and girls, there is a risk of further aggravating the existing gender gap.
Japan very much appreciates the training programs implemented by UNITAR Division of Prosperity in Hiroshima, for capacity development of women in STEM. Currently, with contribution from Japan, UNITAR is providing online training to 80 women from government, civil society and academia in Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. We are also supporting another program that will develop digital literacy of participants both women and men from the Sahel region. Once the participants complete these programs, we hope they make use of the acquired skills to achieve success in their respective activities.
While the current pandemic has severely affected all of us, the measures to control the spread of the virus has accelerated the existing trend of digital transformation. While conventional activities had to be restrained, online activities such as e-commerce and e-government have expanded significantly. This is why promoting women in STEM is all the more important.
I commend UNITAR for focusing on this issue on the occasion of the International Women’s Day.
Thank you for your attention.