Accelerating Gender Equality: Towards a #DigitALL Maldives, Nepal & Sri Lanka
To celebrate International Women’s Day 2023, the World Bank is hosting a virtual discussion on accelerating gender equality by improving digital capabilities in the South Asia Region.
The digitization of our lives and economies are transforming businesses, governments, and markets and how people work and learn. In South Asia, digital technologies are expanding national digital economies and creating jobs, opening access to markets, information, and services, while allowing businesses and governments to deliver innovative services to more people.
However, the potential of digitization across South Asia remains untapped and unequal, especially between men and women. Gender participation in the digital economy include gaps in digital literacy and skills, gaps in affordable access to devices and services, and increased risks of misinformation and online violence. These challenges and barriers mean that women do not fully benefit from digital opportunity, limiting their ability to take advantage of technology for inclusive and resilient development.
South Asian countries have the opportunity to embrace gender inclusivity in digitization by creating enablers and safeguards that will drive digital inclusion while also protecting against exclusion, cyberthreats and risks to misinformation.
To celebrate International Women’s Day 2023, the World Bank Country Teams for Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka are hosting a virtual talk to discuss how improved digital capabilities can accelerate gender equality in the region. The event is organized by the World Bank Group’s Global Practices for Social Sustainability Inclusion (SSI) and Digital Development.
The talk will center around the experiences of the three countries and the broader South Asia region. The panel includes researchers and practitioners who will discuss the challenges and barriers, as well as innovative ideas to create a safe and inclusive digital economy for women. They will also explore intersectional issues within the digital gender gap and broader economic and social inequalities.