Gender Equality

The 34th Session of the General Conference in 2007 made UNESCO’s greatest commitment to the achievement of gender equality by designating Gender Equality as one of two Global Priorities for the 2008-2013 Medium-Term Strategy. UNESCO’s commitment to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment is facilitated by the Division for Gender Equality in the Office of the Director-General. The Division for Gender Equality (Training Session for Gender Focal Points) is responsible for ensuring the promotion of Gender Equality at UNESCO both in programming and in the Secretariat. This work is guided by the Priority Gender Equality Action Plan for 2008 – 2013. The Division supports capacity development within UNESCO and among Member States, by developing holistic and multi-disciplinary approaches that would contribute to the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals. It also conducts orientation and training programmes to increase the competence and skills of staff in UNESCO headquarters and field offices to plan, implement and monitor gender-responsive and gender-transformative initiatives.

Following the UNESCO’s Global Priority on Gender Equality and taking into account recommendations of the UNESCO Division for Gender Equality the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE) used to involve gender equality line in monitoring, planning and reporting, mainstreaming it in all our daily work – briefings, communiqués, TORs/JDs/recruitment, organizing meetings/conferences/seminars; publications, etc. On 19-20 April 2012 the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in cooperation with the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE), telecommunication Administrations of CIS States and ITU Development Sector, and with support of the Cisco Networking Academy hold the seminar devoted to the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (17 May) and International ‘Girls in ICT’ Day (26 April). The main aim of the event was to support initiatives on gender equality, raising awareness of women and girls in CIS region on the benefits of their professional realization in ICT sphere, with technologies being the instrument of gender equality and women empowerment. Representatives of 12 CIS countries involved in ICT sphere participated in the event. They were specialists from ministries, educational institutions and IT companies. The seminar gave possibilities to the participants to be acquainted with the work of international organizations and their efforts to promote gender equality in modern society. Round table “Career and ICT: behind the scene” was devoted to the discussion of wide circle of issues, connected with professional realization of women in IT area, legal issues, possibility for women to occupy high posts in this area. (Women and girls in ICT )

In April 2012 and 2013 by invitation of the International Telecommunications Union IITE participated in the seminars devoted to the International "Girls in ICTs" Day.
In April 2013, IITE organized the joint IITE and CISCO event “Girls in ICTs”.