International Girls in ICT Day – 2017

International Girls in ICT Day is an initiative backed by all ITU Member States in ITU Plenipotentiary Resolution 70 (Rev. Busan, 2014), which aims to create a global environment that empowers and encourages girls and young women to consider careers in the growing field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), enabling both girls and technology companies to reap the benefits of greater female participation in the ICT sector.
Each year, International Girls in ICT Day is celebrated around the world on the 4th Thursday in April.
Since 2012, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, through the Information Technology Services Division (ITSD), in the Ministry of Economic Planning, Sustainable Development, Industry, Information and Labour, has been organising activities to celebrate this Day with female students from the primary and secondary schools, as well as unemployed school-leavers from across the country. This year, the Day will be celebrated on Thursday, 27th April.
Women play a key role in the reduction of poverty and the promotion of social and economic development, for themselves, their families and their countries. Therefore, ITSD seeks to empower girls and women in the area of ICT, as it is an essential tool for the social and economic development of this gender.  In this regard, this year, ITSD is collaborating with the Gender Affairs Division in the Ministry of National Mobilisation, Social Development, Family, Gender Affairs, Persons with Disabilities and Youth; to conduct a number of ICT training and awareness workshops from Tuesday, 25th to Thursday, 27th April at the Layou Learning Resource Centre and the SVG E-government Centre Training Room. These workshops are aimed at providing girls and women with training that can be applied in the job market, such as Microsoft Office, Graphic Design and Photography.