Engaging women and girls in science ‘vital’ for Sustainable Development Goals

11 February 2019

The international Day for women and girls in science was established in 2015 with goals to achieve equality and gender-parity in science for sustainable development. It’s also meant to provide access to women and girls in hard to reach places, such as rural areas.

The UN Secretary General António Guterres lamented that women and girls remain “woefully underrepresented”, which he attributed to stereotypes and a lack of support in many countries. He would like to see more concerted efforts to ensure that women and girls are better represented.

To commemorate this day, there were two days of activities at the UN Headquarters in New York and many panels brought together many experts in STEM, finance and science. They focused mostly on promoting gender equality in science. UN Women and UN Educational also led a number of activities to highlight the vital role that women and girls in science can play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).