On April 27th, Bishkek hosted the second international forum titled “Information Technology Opportunities for Girls in Central Asia”. The forum was attended by local and international experts as well as successful women in the field of information technology who shared their experiences. The speakers covered various topics such as launching satellites into space, mastering artificial intelligence, in-demand professions in the modern world, the future of these professions, using social media with benefits, the importance of ensuring online safety for oneself and loved ones, and financial literacy in the modern world, and much more.
The forum was held to coincide with the “Girls in Information and Communication Technologies” day celebrated in 195 countries worldwide.
During her speech at the forum, Indira Janusakovna Sharshenova, the Deputy Minister of Digital Development of the Kyrgyz Republic, noted that the potential of girls in the ICT field is limitless. “15% of IT job vacancies in our country’s civil service are filled by women, and 5% write codes, which is a good indicator. Initiatives and activities led by women are successful and show good results. However, modern technology should also be accessible to girls in remote rural areas. For instance, they can produce dairy products, create handmade items (needlework), sell them through e-commerce. Thus, we must educate our citizens in information technology skills from all regions of our country,” said Sharshenova.
Natalia Mochu, the regional director for the CIS countries of the International Telecommunication Union, emphasized in her welcoming speech that women and girls have no limits and are fully empowered to participate in today’s digital world, knowing that they have talents and are striving to acquire the necessary knowledge.
Talant Sultanov, Chairman of the Internet Society Kyrgyz Chapter, shared his thoughts on supporting women in the field of IT. “I want to talk about the principles of the Kyrgyz Branch of the Internet Society. Firstly, we focus on the education of girls and women. When organizing events, we ask ourselves whether they are interesting and beneficial for girls. Secondly, we pay special attention to regions. Only 1% of our events are held in the city, the remaining 99% are held in the regions. Perhaps, the next forum will be held in Osh. Finally, the main principle is to promote the Kyrgyz language. There is very little data in the Kyrgyz language in the field of digitalization,” said Sultanov.
The forum was held in a hybrid format, and over 200 students, teachers, educators, schoolchildren, textile workers, migrants, and housewives from all over Kyrgyzstan and the world participated.
The goal of the forum was to motivate and encourage youth, especially girls and women in remote rural areas, to study and receive technology education, promote inclusiveness and understanding of the gender digital divide, and support education in the field of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and digital skills, and encourage careers for girls and young women in information technology. One of the forum’s strategic goals was to create conditions for sustainable development by expanding the socio-economic opportunities for women.
The forum was organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Ministry of Digital Development of the Kyrgyz Republic, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the Internet Society Kyrgyz Chapter.
Since 2011, Girls in Information and Communication Technology Day has been celebrated around the world. According to the latest data, over 12 years, this date was celebrated in 195 countries, with more than 600,000 girls taking part. You can watch the full online version of our forum on our social media pages or at the following link:
