The Girls in ICT Day in Jakarta - Resident Coordinator's Speech, Gita Sabharwal

Ibu Mira Tayyiba, Director General, Ministry of Communications and Digital
Affairs,
Pak Ichwan Makmur Nasution, Heading Centre of International Affairs,
Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs
Mr. Kishore Babu Yerraballa, Representative ITU Area Office

I am delighted to join you as we continue broadening digital access to girls and women so we can leverage their many talents and contributions.

This is especially critical as Indonesia boasts a robust demographic youth dividend with half of Indonesians under the age of 30 with a thriving ecosystem of start-ups. 

In fact, the success of Indonesia’s achievement of the SDGs is predicated on how well we leverage the contributions of girls and women in years to come.

Let me also thank the Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs for organizing this important event today to bring us together in support of the government’s forward-looking vision on gender inclusion in digital spaces. 

Most Indonesia girls and women are internet-savvy and integral to online communities and the digital economy.

All of you here today are examples of this and your accomplishments speak for themselves. Your ambition and can-do spirit are truly inspirational.

However, many girls and women remain at risk of being left behind.

Nationwide there is near-parity between boys and girls as regards access to the Internet, but an urban-rural divide persists. 

In many rural areas disadvantaged girls and women, as well as boys and men, still lack access to digital devices. This is the case not only at home but also in schools, many of which remain offline in tutoring. 

This can lead to uneven digital education opportunities with many young people missing out on the benefits of digitization.

Equally important is to ensure that online environment remains safe for girls and women so they can avail themselves of all the educational and economic opportunities without fear of bullying and sexual harassment. 

The Girls in ICT Day is a testament to Indonesia’s commitment to fostering inclusion and online safety for girls and women.

In tandem, the UN, in partnership with the Government and private sector, is working to boost the share of girls and women in STEM- and IT-related studies and careers.

This is vital as women make up 56% of graduates across all degrees in Indonesia, but only a third of these degrees are in technology. 

Having more women in STEM will not only boost gender equality but also help Indonesia achieve the SDGs, which require a strong basis in science, technology and innovation.

Similarly, women account for only a fifth of the workforce in technology-related sectors. Mainstreaming more women into these sectors will be truly transformative. 

That is why there is a pressing need for far more girls and women to choose careers in STEM and the IT sector. I hope many of you will do so. 

But improved access to ICT benefits girls and women from all walks of life regardless of their career choices.

ICT enables them to acquire new skills, bolster their digital literacy and future-proof their skillsets against disruptive technologies such as AI.

In coming years AI will transform the job market in Indonesia by eliminating jobs in some fields but opening up new avenues in others.

The Government is targeting creating enabling policies, nurturing talents, building IT infrastructure and supporting research and innovation to facilitate this transformation. 

AI-assisted empowerment will also require gender-centric approaches by enterprising young women like yourselves.

This is essential because in Indonesia women run two-thirds of the country’s Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises.

Many of these MSMEs operate in the informal economy, but digitization can enable them to enter the formal economy with its many benefits such as greater social security.   

Indonesia is ideally placed to leverage this transition because of its young and technologically savvy population. 

You will have ideas of your own about how to harness the digital sphere to benefit girls and women across the country. 

I am very much looking forward to learning about them.

Thank you