An online side event ‘#SheSTEMs: Championing Women’s Participation in STEM Education and Careers’ was co-organized by the Philippines Commission on Women and ESCAP on 23 March 2023. This side event provided participants with the chance to take stock of key trends, needs, gaps in policy responses, and good practices related to women’s participation in Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers and education. The event brought together representatives from governments, UN entities, the private sector and civil society organizations.

The topic of this side event aligned with the theme of this year’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW):  ‘Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls’. In the Asia Pacific Regional Consultation for CSW, co-convened by ESCAP and UN Women in February 2023, the barriers facing women and girls in accessing STEM education and careers were identified as significant obstacles which limit women and girls from sharing in the benefits of digital transformation and innovation. These barriers included restrictive gender norms, a lack of digital skills and limited educational and training opportunities for women in STEM.

The outcome of the Asia-Pacific regional consultation for CSW67 was a set of recommendations on areas for accelerated action, in line with the Priority Theme for CSW67. This included a specific subset of recommendations focussed on enhancing women and girls' participation in STEM. These recommendations would be presented in closer detail during the ‘#SheSTEMs: Championing Women’s Participation in STEM Education and Careers’ side event. To learn more about the Asia-Pacific regional consultation for CSW67 and read the recommendations, you could visit the page here: LINK

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Join the side event via Zoom here: https://sei-dost-gov-ph.zoom.us/j/94166613493?pwd=dkVXU1R3YkJ1emlJbmNmbFdMQXl6Zz09

Passcode: shestems