UNIS/SGSM/1474
7 February 2025
Ten years ago, the first International Day of Women and Girls in Science recognized a fundamental truth: women’s participation is essential for building a better world through science and technology. I saw that enormous potential firsthand when I was teaching engineering, and I saw the remarkable talent, creativity, and determination of countless women scientists.
Yet today, women still represent just one-third of the global scientific community. Deprived of adequate funding, publishing opportunities and leadership positions in universities, women and girls continue to face an uphill battle in building careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
Look no further than the development of new digital technologies. Men dominate the field at every level—including in Artificial Intelligence. The result is a surge of biased algorithms and embedded inequality, risking a new era of digital chauvinism.
The more that women are excluded from STEM, the more we limit our collective power to address urgent global challenges, from climate change and food security to public health and technological transformation.
We can and must do more to level the playing field
By expanding scholarships, internships and mentorship opportunities to open doors for women and girls in STEM; creating workplaces that attract, retain and advance women in science; encouraging girls’ engagement in STEM from an early age; championing women leaders in science through the media; and dismantling gender stereotypes.
The Pact for the Future, agreed last September by Member States, gives renewed momentum to these goals by committing to address barriers preventing the full, equal and meaningful access for women and girls in scientific fields.
On the tenth anniversary of this important day, and as we reflect on 30 years since the Beijing Declaration, let’s help pave a path to STEM careers that women and girls deserve – and our world needs.
* *** *
"When the doors of equal opportunity are open for women and girls, everyone wins. Equal societies are more prosperous and peaceful – and the foundation of sustainable development." — António Guterres
Panama signed the United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships (the "Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships") at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 4 March 2025.
The Zero Project Conference 2025, hosted at the United Nations in Vienna for the thirteenth time, will highlight cutting-edge innovations in employment and information and communication technology (ICT) for people with disabilities.
"Humanity's future depends on investing in the machinery of peace, not the machinery of war." — António Guterres
