International Girls in ICT Day

International Girls in ICT Day History

International Girls in ICT Day seeks to inspire young girls to study and pursue technology. This day highlights female role models in technology as a way to encourage girls to take up careers in the technology sector. It hopes to increase interest in information and communication technology among young girls to help balance the gender gap within the workforce. According to weforum.org, 65% of children entering primary school will have jobs in the future that do not yet exist.

International Girls in ICT Day was established in 2014 by International Telecommunication Union. It is observed annually on the fourth Thursday of April.

Top 10 Facts for International Girls in ICT Day in 2026

• The International Telecommunication Union has announced that the 2026 global celebration will be centered around the theme AI for Development: Girls Shaping the digital future.
• To emphasize global connectivity, the primary festivities will be co-hosted as a hybrid event featuring a live digital link between Tirana, Albania, and Brasília, Brazil.
• Despite the rapid growth of the technology sector, global data indicates that women still make up only 35 percent of STEM graduates, a statistic that has remained largely stagnant for the past decade.
• Current projections from the United Nations suggest that 65 percent of children entering primary school today will eventually work in job roles that do not currently exist, highlighting the urgent need for digital literacy among young girls.
• Recent reports from the ITU reveal a significant "digital gender divide," with approximately 189 million fewer women than men having access to the internet worldwide.
• The observance aims to address the fact that women currently represent only about 30 percent of the artificial intelligence workforce, a field that is increasingly dictating the trajectory of global innovation.
• Leadership in the sector reached a milestone when Doreen Bogdan-Martin became the first woman in the 157-year history of the International Telecommunication Union to serve as Secretary-General.
• Initiatives such as the African Girls Can Code Initiative and the Tech4Girls program are actively working to provide hands-on training in robotics and coding to narrow the participation gap in emerging markets.
• The day serves as a global call to action to fulfill the objectives of Resolution 70, which mandates the promotion of gender equality through information and communication technologies.
• In Sub-Saharan Africa, the urgency of the observance is underscored by statistics showing that only 24 percent of women use the internet, compared to 35 percent of men, due to barriers like infrastructure and high data costs.

In the News and Trending in the US for International Girls in ICT Day

Top things to do in the US for International Girls in ICT Day

• Discover events around you. The International Telecommunication Union hosts events around the world so be sure to check for any upcoming ones.
• Listen to a podcast with the founder of the Women in Science International League Dr. Nisreen El-Hashemite.
• Explore 10 years of girls in information and communication technologies. This series of virtual events hosted by the International Telecommunication Union celebrates women and girls in technology.