The Arab Women Organization recommends an international charter entitled (Digitization for All) At a seminar on:

Digital Transformation and Social - Economic Empowerment for Women in the Arab Countries: Opportunities and Challenges” within the activities of the C

3/4/2023

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, and within the activities of the sixty-seventh annual meeting of the United Nations Women’s Committee CSW67, the Arab Women Organization in cooperation with the National Commission for Lebanese Women and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), held a parallel event, entitled: “Digital Transformation and Social - Economic Empowerment for Women in the Arab Countries: Opportunities and Challenges" on Monday, March 6, 2023.
High-ranking representatives from Lebanon, the Sultanate of Oman, Sudan, Libya, Morocco, Palestine and Germany participated in the seminar.

In her speech Mrs. Claudine Aoun, President of the National Commission for Lebanese Women and a member of the Supreme Council of the Arab Women Organization, emphasized that the goal of gender equality is linked to the full and effective participation of women in the development of science and innovation.
Her Excellency indicated that the National Council for Scientific Research in Lebanon is run by a woman, who was previously also run by a woman namely Dr. Salwa Nassar, who was the first to specialize in nuclear physics in the year 1945 in the Arab world, and was behind the establishment of the Council in 1962.
She explained that a few years ago; a special observatory for women in research was established, and in recent years, a number of Lebanese women have involved in emerging economic enterprises in the fields of digital technology, which seems, despite the current crisis in Lebanon, to be one of the most viable sectors for growth in the country.
She also emphasized that the National Commission for Lebanese Women seeks to encourage women to be pioneers in fields of science and work. In order to achieve this, the Commission cooperated with all its partners in ministries, civil society and international organizations, in order to eliminate digital illiteracy among girls and women, by integrating this goal in educational curricula. The Commission also plans to develop guidance services in schools, in order to encourage more female students to pursue scientific specializations.

Professor Fadia Kiwan, the Director General of the Arab Women Organization, in her speech stressed the importance of everyone, especially women and girls, having the right to access information technology, Her Excellency referred to the organization's activity in this context, including organizing several competitions aimed at supporting talented Arab girls in the digital field and in the technological applications fields, to serve women, especially rural women.
Professor Kiwan recommended to submit an international charter, calling for the Secretary-General of the United Nations to invite all relevant organizations to coordinate in order to launch an initiative as an international charter entitled (Digitization for All).

As for Her Excellency Ms. Svenja Schulze, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Federal Republic of Germany, she pointed out that women make up half of the world's population and yet they represent a minority in the digital sector, where the number of women who have access to the Internet is 234 million fewer than men. Men represent 75% of workers in the digital sector.
She also stressed that women and girls need digital skills in order to be able to access information, education, jobs, financial products and services, adding that digitization provides opportunities to participate more easily in economic, public and political life, benefit from health services, and enhance individual opportunities in education and work.
She explained that in the Middle East and North Africa, the percentage of female graduates in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) reaches 60% of the total graduates, stressing that this percentage is higher than its counterpart in Europe or the United States, however, this does not yet translate into an equal share for women in the labor market and in leadership positions.
She stated that through the WoMENA project, in cooperation with the Arab Women Organization, there is a huge support and strengthen in the field of communication and networking among women in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia.

In her speech Her Excellency Mrs. Maani bint Abdullah Al-Busaidi, Director General of Family Development at the Ministry of Social Development in the Sultanate of Oman and President of the Executive Council of the Arab Women Organization, she affirmed her pride of the women pioneers in business and innovation fields, with many local, regional and international awards.

Minister Ahmed Bakhit, Minister of Social Development in Sudan and a member of the Executive Council of the Arab Women Organization In his speech affirmed that Sudanese women have achieved great successes in various fields of scientific and technological sustainable development, and have also contributed to building a knowledge society.
His Excellency also stated that Sudan, despite the exceptional circumstances, plans to increase spending on scientific research, as Sudan is witnessing a wide movement to make the best use of technology in facing economic challenges, especially in the agricultural sector

Her Excellency Houria Al-Tarmal, Minister of Women's Affairs in the State of Libya, explained in her speech that women empowerment offices have been established in all Libyan research and innovation institutions, to focus on the importance of empowering women in the fields of science, technology and innovation, and they carry out many tasks, as they are concerned with helping women to reach Technology tools, and make them aware of the importance of using information and communication technology in all aspects of life.
Adding that, these offices also help in enhancing women participation in scientific research, she also explained that experiences have shown a clear link between women empowerment in science and technology, and the success of building peace and stability, and good governance.

Her Excellency Professor Wafaa Al-Dika Hamza, member of the Executive Council of the Arab Women Organization for the Lebanese Republic, presented the recommendations of the seminar, she explained that women and girls constitute 60% of degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the region, but it remains necessary to work to activate their role through the following mechanisms:

• Shedding light on pioneering women's experiences in technology and digital transformation, which serve as an incentive for women and girls to lead technology and not just use it.
• Building on the incentive initiatives implemented by Arab countries to enhance the capabilities of women and girls in the fields of technology, communications, and digital empowerment, such as the experience of (Makeen) in the Sultanate of Oman.
• Developing responsive policies to gender equality in the field of digital transformation.
• Providing statistics and information disaggregated by gender, and produce educational and training programs to ensure equal benefit in digital economy, and enhance knowledge and specialized capabilities not only in accessing technology, but also in ensuring possession of the knowledge and skills required to maximize its benefit.
• The importance of developing laws and legislations related to the safe use of technology, especially cyber violence,
• Strengthening the cooperation programs and exchanging experiences with Arab, regional and international organizations that have a leading role in supporting women advancement in the Arab region, and developing partnerships with leading private sector institutions in the areas of digital transformation to develop incentive mechanisms to make gender equality a basic principle in the digital transformation approach.