International Women’s Day 2023 - DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality

The FAO Liaison Office in Brussels and the FAO Regional Office for Africa celebrated jointly this year’s International Women’s Day with a virtual  event that brought together champions of equality in the fields of agriculture, development and technology. 

Under the theme, “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality’’, the event put a spotlight on the challenges that hinder rural women’s access to digitalization, e-market and finance but also showcased concrete opportunities for boosting rural women’s livelihoods and capacities in accessing digital tools. 

Opening the event, Director of the FAO Liaison Office in Brussels Raschad Al-Khafaji and the Acting Director of the UN Women Brussels Office Laurence Gillois, highlighted the role of technology and education in achieving gender equality and the need to narrow the persistent gender gap that keeps women offline.  

‘’Access to inclusive digital technologies and education is critical. We must innovate to close the digital divide that keeps so many women offline and away from new opportunities, ‘’ said Al-Khafaji. 

UN Women’s Gillois stressed the need to break gender stereotypes. ‘’We need to dismantle gender stereotypes, empower women and girls and ensure education opportunities to develop and deploy technology that meets their needs,’’ she said 

Giving an inspirational keynote about the role of innovation in supporting rural women facing gender inequality Marcela Villarreal, FAO Director responsible for Partnerships and UN Collaboration emphasized: ‘’Innovation and technology can go a long way to improve gender equality and enhance women’s empowerment as well as to eradicate hunger, if adequate steps are taken to ensure that they address both men’s and women’s specific needs, especially in the rural areas.‘’ 

FAO’s commitment and perspective on digital technologies for gender equality was also reiterated by Tacko Ndiaye, FAO Team Leader in the Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division.  

“FAO is walking the talk to integrate innovative approaches and digital technologies in its core business and strategic priorities by promoting the digitalization process, while applying gender transformative approaches to reach out to rural women”, stressed Ndiaye. 

Presenting FAO’s initiative that supports women in overcoming gender-based obstacles in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), was Adetokunbo Adewoyin, a trainer involved in capacity building to promote access of women to digital tools. 

Her intervention was followed by a video of women beneficiaries from the training, which sparked an engaging dialogue that encapsulated a breadth of perspectives from the audience. 

The event was closed by FAO’s Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa Abebe Haile Gabriel.  

Bringing the African perspective and a strong call to action, Haile Gabriel recalled that it was imperative to achieve women’s equality in all aspects of life. ‘’Closing the digital gender gap must be a priority in all agenda across the region if we want to achieve gender equality in all aspects of our society and promote women’s economic empowerment in the African Continental Free Trade Area,’’ he said. 

You can learn more about FAO’s work on gender here. 

You can watch the recording of the event here.